


The Reign of Stupidity

by TheMirrorImage



Series: Sentient Predators [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Aliens, Humans Are Weird, Humans are space orcs, Meta, Sort Of, What can I say? Techno-babbling is fun, actual science
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2020-04-24 06:51:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19168021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMirrorImage/pseuds/TheMirrorImage
Summary: The Tahw have now arrived at Earth (or Terra, as they have decided to call it). It was only supposed to be a purely observational mission – first contact wasn’t planned, but has been rendered inevitable. So they are now forced not only to adapt and improvise, but also have to somehow learn to communicate with these strange predatory beings who seem to act so against their own better judgement (pollution and overdominance are only the tip of the iceberg). Learning the language is one thing, but really understanding will be the far greater task. And then there’s this other looming threat...





	1. Hello Terra

**Author's Note:**

> This is Part 2 of the Sentient Predator series. I strongly recommend that you read Part 1 (“Forboding the Reign of Stupidity”) first, if you haven’t already. It introduces the characters and the world, and expains the whole premise, so you would be thoroughly confused if you start reading here. I mean, you might be confused either way, but...  
> Anyway, since it’s been a while (SORRY!) here’s a short summary of part 1: The Tahw, a highly developed plant species from planet Tahw (because I’m that creative), are on a recon mission to the third planet in the M314 system, to see how the sentient predatory species that they had encountered there on a previous mission (millennia ago) has developed. As they advance into the system, they encounter several technical artifacts, proving that species PIS1 has apparently already entered space age, much to their surprise. This fast development has come at a price though, and as they arrive, they find a planet devastated by pollution. But this overdominant and reckless species has already detected the Tahw, so first contact is inevitable: “Hello Terra”.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Tahw have arrived at their destnation. Communication has been set up with species M314-PIS1. How will these unpredictable beings react to their arrival? First contact is always tricky, but are the Tahw really prepared for what they might encounter?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we go again... This starts off exactly where Part 1 ended, so again, I recommend you read that first. I tried adding a few more layers to the story, which... I don’t know, might have just made it (more) boring. Well...

_M314-P3 Status Update: T164/82/34:_

_We have arrived at P3, and established communication with the PIS1 species. It’s limited, since we haven’t fully decoded their language yet, but we are making progress. The goal now is to make our intent clear. Their reaction to us seems to be a mixture of curiosity and fear – as was to be expected – so it is imperative that we avoid misunderstandings. After initially contacting us from various locations on the planet, they now seem to be coordinating their efforts. We are still receiving signals from everywhere, but one location is apparently leading their first contact efforts. Their choice of communication methods is intelligent. They seem to have been prepared for this eventuality, and probably had detected us quite early on._

_We can confirm that the PIS1 have entered a level two space exploration stage of development, albeit recently (report pending). There is a large contrast between their well-structured contact efforts and the mess (for lack of a better word) of satellites and debris surrounding P3. The planet has been gravely affected by pollution and industrial fallout, even though environmentally friendlier technology is available to them. We still have to work out all the implications._

_More detailed reports to follow._

_Ska, Strategy and Security Department_

_Memo from Medical to Crew: T164/82/34:_

_Now that we have arrived at our destination and are at a sufficient proximity to the M314 star, we no longer need to ration photon sessions. DON’T FORGET TO CHARGE AND REST! This is often forgotten during these crucial and exciting phases of a mission._

_Tsm, Medical Department_

 -----

Four Terran minutes have passed since the Tahw sent their greeting. But you wouldn’t know, because no one and nothing has moved. It could have been a fraction of a second, just by the look of it. But it wasn’t, it was four minutes. And to T’hem it felt more like ten. Just as she is about to lose patience – which means something, because she has learned to be patience personified – the symbols on the screen change. It’s the answer from Terra. The relays are forming a three-dimensional pattern, as the computer transforms the signals into something readable.

At a speed remarkable for her age, T’hem races from the bridge to the strategy room. It’s right next door, but she still catches the team gathered there by surprise. “Tell me something!”

“Uhm... just a second.” Ska has just been jolted out of his anticipatory freeze, and hasn’t quite found his bearings yet. “So, I’m monitoring their military movements. They were scrambling quite a bit before we arrived, but now it seems that they are just waiting. Like we are. I asked Oesc to track their satellite signals to see if that gives us more information. And their answer is just coming in, so... working on that.”

Oesc is hunched over a data console. Despite her seemingly ever-present glow, she is focused and calm. She seems so completely immersed in her tasks that she doesn’t perceive her surrounding – and yet, she answers T’hem’s question before she even had a chance to pose it. “We haven’t determined the function of all of the satellites yet, but we assume that several of them are for communication. And activity has definitely increased. I’m collecting all the data that I can for analysis. That will take a while though – I’m guessing it’s not a priority now? We’re decoding their answer first.” Without as much as lifting a branch, she seamlessly goes back to rapidly moving data around on her console.

T’hem is astounded by Oesc’s uncharacteristic calmness, until she turns to C’ce at the adjacent screen. She understands now why H’or had chosen this particular code specialist as division coordinator. C’ce is hardly older than Oesc, is only just starting to grow a fifth limb, but she seems to have a soothing effect on everyone around her. To make even Oesc devoid of her usual jumpiness is quite a feat. “C’ce, it looks like they sent us another question to answer our greeting. Am I seeing that correctly?”

“Yes. There’s that question symbol.”

“We should answer swiftly. If we take too long it will make them nervous. Can you read some of their message already?”

“Well, this phrase – particularly this word here – came up quite often in previous transmissions, and also in the UN1 files. We are pretty sure it means something along the lines of ‘peace’, or ‘peaceful’. I would say that they are questioning our intent.” C’ce looks for confirmation with the rest of the linguistics team, and they send her an affirmation, “Yeah, for sure. Makes sense, too.”

“Do we know how to say yes?”

“We think we know, but we are decoding their words within context. The problem is that ‘yes’ and ‘no’ constitute that context. They are interchangeable, in a way. So we think we know which is which, but until we’re not 100% sure, I’d rather not risk using it.”

“Yes. That would lead to a horrible misunderstanding.” T’hem thinks about it for a while, “Ok, I’d say we just send them ‘peace’ back. That would be like an affirmative. Do we know how they would say ‘scientific’, or ‘science mission’? It would be great if we could add something along those lines.”

“We have a word that means either ‘exploring’ or ‘curious’. It came up repeatedly as well.”

“That’s perfect. Double-check and then send them that for now.” T’hem has been concealing the real reason for her impatience, but realizing that nerd-shaming is a stupid remnant from her youth, she turns back to Ska, “Do we expect any reasons to have to use our engines? I want to check on them.” (her babies) “They need maintenance after the long trip.”

“I think we’re clear. The quick thrusters can be maintained while operating, right?”

“The non-mechanical components, yes. The sail mechanics, on the other hand, have already been checked, but the sails themselves need to be maintained from the outside. And the superphotonic propulsions have to be powered down completely before entering the chambers.”

“Ok. Well, the sails I’d still wait. There shouldn’t be anyone outside the ship before we are sure that the Terrans don’t do something stupid that would warrant any quick maneuvers. The superphotonic engines we definitely can turn off, though. So...”

“Terrans?”

“L’bis and I decided to call them that. They are tangible to us now, so it seems wrong to use just a statistical number.”

“Wait, we decided to call them _something_.” L’bis feigns annoyance, “But I said that naming them after their planet, as if they were the only species living there, would be presumptuous.”

“Uhm... that’s what we do.”

“Yes, that’s right. Presumptuous.”

T’hem is pleased with the jestful dynamic building between Ska and L’bis. She was worried with two so different personalities having to work together. She feels her ‘smile’ reflected throughout the room. “Ok. Terrans it is. How about that orbital station? Any reaction from there?”

Again without pausing her work, Oesc replies, “They repeated the signal from the planet. Kind of like a relay. And they are probing us from there. The uhm... Terrans... inside are moving around frantically.”

L’bis, still basking in her apparent wittiness from earlier, forgets to think, “Well, remember, it might just seem frantic because they move faster than we do.”

And Ska is grasping the got-cha opportunity, “Not in zero gravity. They have no gravity on their station, remember?”

“Yeah. Still...” She is reluctant to admit defeat. She could let him win for once, but why make it so easy?

As much as T’hem is liking this developing friendship, the earlier sense of urgency is regaining control. “Ok. So, next steps: Send that peace message. Wait to make sure they understood it. Later, when we know that they feel safer, I’d like to send more probes. But into their atmosphere, not to the surface yet. I want to know the exact state of the planet. Also, in addition to movement on the planet, keep monitoring the satellites. We need to find out what they are communicating amongst each other. Maybe that will also help with the translations. Ok, that’s all for now. If there is anything new, I’ll be somewhere in the engine rooms overseeing maintenance.” And almost as quickly as she appeared, she is off to her happy place.

 -----

_H’or to Research Team: T//35:_

_Please start preparing the probe beacons for atmospheric analysis. Use the small ones that we used on P4, but fit them with a more heat-resistant stealth casing. Program them to take air samples from the direct surrounding, as well as medium-range data from the planet surface. We will be controlling from here, so no need for any automated flight programing (except for the obligatory emergency return setting, of course)._

_I will be back at the lab shortly, and will let you know the precise specifications._

_T’hem to Maintenance Teams: T//35:_

_All the super-photonic propulsion systems have been fully powered down and are ready for maintenance. We will work on those first. The quick-thrusters, sails, and all external systems will have to wait (however we will be conducting ship-sensor analysis on those). All teams please report to Engine Control Room 1 for detailed briefing and duty assignments._

_Ska to T’hem: T//35:_

_The Terrans have acknowledged our message. They are obviously still on heightened alert, but any military movement seems to have been put on hold. Our peace message has apparently been transmitted throughout the planet, because we are now receiving signals from everywhere again. We are still decoding them. As far as we can tell, not all messages are friendly, but the majority seem to be. We believe that it’s safe to send off the probes now. H’or is fitting them with stealth casing, but there is still a chance that the Terrans somehow manage to detect them._

_T’hem to Ska: T//35:_

_Ok. Proceed as planned. And let me know when it’s safe to work on the ship’s exterior. Our sensors are detecting minor hull defects. Just scratches, nothing serious, and to be expected, but should still be looked at. Thank you._

\-----

When T’hem hurried off the bridge, she did so without leaving instructions. Not that Potav needed any. They had planned the arrival ahead meticulously, and T’hem trusts him fully. Still, it took him a while to notice that she had vanished without leaving as much as a sniff. He just shrugged it off and went back to plotting their orbit. By now, not much later, that hint of glow that the impending arrival had befallen even Potav, has dissipated. He is reverted back to his usual weary self. But maybe he’s just tired. Maybe he can find that feeling again. He remembers it from his youth, from the Tri-Moon Race he won twelve times in a row, from his first inter-stellar mission, from...

The console at the entrance of the bridge is still on communication setting as Ska enters. No one has bothered to turn it off, and messages from Terra are scrolling through, “They sure are an impatient bunch!” Ska changes the console setting back to default, not without optimizing the interface in the process.

Potav turns around, “Huh?”

“The Terrans. Flooding us with messages. How do they expect us to process that?”

“Terrans? Is that what we are calling them now?”

“That’s the decision.”

“Maybe they think that we can do magic with our superior technology. Or they’re just very curious. Remember our first contact with the Oras?”

“The Oras? That was... No, I was just a seedling back then.”

“Well I do. We had met alien species before that, but it was the first one that I personally had experienced. So little two-and-a-half limb me bombarded parents and teachers with questions. Imagine a first contact ever for your entire species. I wouldn’t blame the ...Terrans.”

“I don’t. And I’d be impatient too with so short a life-span.” Ska moves down to Potav’s station and takes a ‘look’ at the orbit stats, “Well, double shifts it is.”

“Not for me. I’m tired. Please tell me we’re set.”

“I think we’re safe. Can your bridge team handle any unforeseen eventualities?”

“Of course. I hand-picked them myself.” Potav is more relieved than he thought he’d be. Yes, definitely only tired, “Unforeseen eventualities? That’s a redundancy only you can come up with, Ska!”

“You know what I mean. They are unpredictable.”

Potav proceeds to transfer secondary controls over to his quarters and beckons his co-pilot to take his place. “Maintain a high orbit, and make sure to stay clear of any stray orbital debris. Ska, can you instruct my team on what kind of unpredictabilities they should keep a lookout for?”

“That’s what I’m here for.” Ska sends him a ‘couldn’t resist that jab, could ya’ emission. “That, and because I needed to get out of that strategy room for a bit.”

“Well, I’m taking a break. You should as well.”

“I will. Once I learn how to delegate.”


	2. Communication is a tricky thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Crew is exhausted, and the impatience of those Terrans isn’t helping, nor is the chaos of information from their satellite transmissions, or the status of the planet. But now is not the time to rest. There is more data to collect, more language to decode.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I promised a little more action and structure, and I fell right back into speculative rambling. Just can’t get out of my skin!

 

H’or is staring out of the lab window. Not that he can see anything (or has any eyes to do the staring with). The transparent surface lets the light through, but any sonar emissions would be reflected right back. And yet, he finds something soothing about the invisible view. Sometimes he places the sensory nodes on his branch-tips onto the glass. He knows that, on a subconscious level, he can perceive light intensity that way. So I guess, in a way, he can see through the glass. But, to be honest, it is precisely that absence of perception that he sometimes craves. There are moments when he wishes he had chosen a more monotonous job. Stress and excitement exhaust him. But then again, without them he gets bored. He gets bored sooo easily. It’s the duality of his existence.

While the technicians behind him are almost done fitting the mini-probes with their new casing, H’or is listing the components in his head – or rather, in his cognitive center. Confident that he has forgotten nothing, he moves back to the main console. He returns to the program he was working on earlier.

 -----

_H’or to Ska: T//36:_

_The probe beacons for atmospheric analysis are ready. We are loading them into the launch shafts right now. On that note, what should we do with the large scout probe – the one that we sent ahead while on P4? I know the plan was to eventually send it closer to the orbital station, but isn’t that kind of redundant and moot now?_

_I’m also sending the data team a new program that I developed. It recognizes and translates images from three to two dimensional and vice-versa automatically and instantly. So now we don’t have to calculate freshly each time. That should speed up our communication._

_Ska to H’or: T//36:_

_Thanks! Oesc is very happy about the program. A lot of the satellite transmissions are visual, so it is very helpful for her as well as for the decoding team. C’ce was starting to work on something similar, and is pretending to be a little annoyed that you beat her to it, but really I think she’s glad you saved her the time._

_L’bis will be overseeing the analysis of the beacon data, so please send her the control specs. As for the scout probe, I’m starting to think that it’s a bad idea to let the Terrans have any direct access to our technology, for now anyway, not until we are sure that they are capable of responsible action. I suggest that we send the probe to the Terran moon. Judging from sensor readings there’s not much there, other than some debris, which is kind of strange. I’d like to take a closer look. But I’ll ask T’hem first, so reel that probe in for now. Maybe we also want to re-fit it with landing gear and a bot..._

_T’hem to Department Heads: T//36:_

_I’m calling in a meeting for all department heads in 0.2R in meeting room 2. Please prepare any relevant updates._

 -----

T’hem is exhausted. She hasn’t rested since they have arrived. As reluctant as she was to leave the engines in the capable limbs of her maintenance crew, as much she is now drawn to her photon showers. What was she thinking calling in a meeting now? Sometimes she forgets that she is no longer what the Terrans would dub a spring chicken. But curiosity pushes her on, and as she watches her equally tired crew file into the room, her sense of responsibility gives her more strength. H’or smells pale, Tnsso seems physically drained, Tsm is doing a poor job hiding her annoyance and Potav has clearly just been rudely awakened from a nap (or whatever the Tahw do to replenish). Only L’bis is somehow still managing to muster up enough confidence to cancel out Ska’s unrest.

“I don’t want to keep you all away from your duties, so let’s keep this brief.” Maybe they bought it, “Just a quick update from each of you, so that we can decide on how to proceed. So, Ska, what are the Terrans up to?”

“There is a lot of movement going on, especially in the cities, but I don’t know how to interpret that. Looks like onset of panic to me, but it might just be normal city bustling. In any case, they are extremely impatient. Bombarding us with questions, invitations with coordinates, probably for a personal meeting. We couldn’t process it all yet. I had C’ce send them a message, which helped a little.”

“What’s the message?”

“It says: ‘wait, learn talk’ – best we could come up with for now.”

“Ok. How are we progressing with learning the language?”

“The more we communicate, the more we learn. It seems slow for now, but will advance exponentially – it’s a mathematical given, according to C’ce anyway. And H’or developed a program to facilitate image translation, so Oesc is making a lot of progress with the satellite transmissions.” Ska nods toward H’or, who isn’t without pride – not because it was a difficult task (it really wasn’t), but because he did something out of his own initiative.

T’hem would normally notice these nuances in mood, but she is too tired to focus on more than just facts. “The question remains as to who specifically we should talk to. Are those satellite transmissions conclusive in that?”

“A large number of satellites are used to spread information – images and sound. Our arrival is the main topic, of course. We’re still trying to identify relevant individuals.” Ska doesn’t want to admit that he feels overwhelmed, almost traumatized even, by the chaos of those images, “Oesc is sorting through it.”

L’bis can smell the shudder on Ska, so she jumps in: “What is clear is that there is a great discrepancy between their technological and their social development. I would propose that, in any case, we should insist on talking to scientists rather than to politicians.”

“Sorry, isn’t that – I mean we need to talk to the decision-makers, right?” Tnsso is confused, as usual.

“The problem is that we don’t believe that those decision-makers are necessarily the smart ones. I know, it’s counter-intuitive. Some pack species do choose the oldest and wisest as their alpha, but some only the strongest or loudest, the most confident. The majority of Terran packs seem to belong to the latter type.”

“So how come they managed to be so successful? That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.” Even Tnsso is smarter than we Terrans are.

“No. It doesn’t. I guess there is enough intelligence to create a counter-balance.”

T’hem is confused as well, but masks it expertly. “Ska, you said earlier that the Terrans are coordinating their first-contact efforts. Mainly from one location, right? And that they are relaying it through the orbital station.”

Ska jolts at his name, “Uhm yes, but that doesn’t seem to keep others from sending us messages as well. We are transmitting ours as a general signal for now. But yes, once our communication gets more specific, and we are starting to make agreements and such with them, we’ll have to determine who exactly to talk to. We don’t know if the individuals from their coordinated location are the right ones. I agree with L’bis – scientists are more trust-worthy than politicians when we’re dealing with predators.”

“Well, we can be sure that the Terrans aboard the orbital station are scientist or explorers of some kind, right? I suggest we set up a separate comm link with them as well and figure it out from there. I’m guessing they will have some coding or language experts on Terra, but we still want to make sure we can trust that they speak on behalf of the whole planet and not just in the interest of some bully alpha.”

“Ok, I’ll have C’ce set that up.”

“Alright. H’or, what’s your status?”

“We sent out the probe beacons. They are cloaked, just in case. L’bis and her team are starting on that data. I also took the scout probe back in, the one that we had sent ahead from P4. Ska suggested that we re-fit it as a lander with a mini-bot and send it to the Terran moon.”

“Ok. That’s a good idea. That way we can confirm our assumption that they have indeed visited their moon. It seems so strange that they are already showing so much interest on P4 before they’re even remotely ready to colonize their moon first.” T’hem isn’t getting any closer to understanding these beings.

H’or, sensing the collective confusion, attempts at an explanation, “Well, from a technological standpoint, there is a huge difference between sending probes and bots to actually going somewhere. From what we can tell, they haven’t solved the problems with radiation yet. Even the hull of the orbital station offers only limited protection. That, plus, with prolonged periods without gravity – which can’t be healthy – those individuals on the station must really be dedicated. I think that once they are ready to colonize their moon, going to P4 isn’t much more of a step. So they might as well prepare. Theoretically, they are advanced enough to send a manned mission to P4, but it would be extremely dangerous and, at this point, probably not yet worth the risk and waste of resources more useful elsewhere.”

Ska isn’t sure about this interpretation, “I don’t know – they don’t strike me as interested in conserving resources.”

L’bis tries to calm Ska’s skepticism, only to add to the confusion, “That’s what I meant with discrepancy – they can be methodical and foresighted, and at the same time chaotic and wasteful. It’s probably the battle of predatory instinct versus intelligence development, or just the different approaches of various packs or colonies.”

“Or they don’t want to conserve the resources as much as hoard them.” Ska looks for something to occupy his idle limbs with, but upon finding nothing, he resignedly digs them into the soil floor.

T’hem generally encourages pointless speculation as a means of intellectual exercise, if only she didn’t hear those photon showers calling her, “Well, the beacon data will surely give us more insight on the planet condition and development of the species. L’bis, can you write up a report for me?”

“Already working on it.”

“Alright.” She turns to Tsm, “On that note, at some point, inevitably, we will want to visit the planet personally. So Tsm, is that pollution a factor? I mean, will we actually need environmental suits?”

“Only at prolonged exposure. It depends on where we land, of course. We have to take into account temperature, oxygen saturation, air pressure, etcetera – and, of course also the rate of pollution. Just for a visit it’s fine though, and any effect limited exposure has is easily treatable. That being said, I will insist on protective gear and decontamination before and after any visit, as is standard procedure for any foreign contact. This is mainly to avoid introducing our pathogens to their environment and vice-versa.”

“Yes, of course. What’s the medical status of the crew right now?”

“Everyone is healthy for now, but some are working overtime and double shifts. I understand the urgencies, but our bodies aren’t meant for stress. Our relatively long lifespans has allowed us to learn, study and grow – in depth, accumulating knowledge and experience as we go. But ever since the looming Enott threat, it’s been: ‘hurry to find allies, hurry to assess the situation, hurry to prepare before they reach level six...’ And now these Terrans with a lifespan so short it leaves me in awe how they managed to accomplish anything... We shouldn’t let the impatience of those short-living creatures impact our own well-being.” Tsm knows that all her words are in vain, but she has given in to her role as that nagging, annoying conscience, and has long ago decided to embrace it, to own it even.

If T’hem were her younger self, she would encourage that sentiment, but within her herd, she sees giving in to a role as an unhealthy attitude. And even though evolution and sentience has given each member their own personality and purpose, they ultimately have to function as an entity. How should she convey to Tsm that accepting a role is one thing, but letting it define you is a path to loneliness, for centuries to come? “You’re right, but as you pointed out, we don’t have much of a choice. We did adapt the duty roster to allow enough breaks, but not everyone is sticking to their shifts. I’m allowing it, because I can’t blame them. But if you start seeing any significant effects let me know, and I’ll be stricter about enforcing it.”

“Ok. Starting with you.” Tsm didn’t mean to say that out loud. It’s rude, “Just, you know, leading by example...” Ok, not really any less rude.

“Sure.” T’hem ignores it, Tsm’s got a point, “Potav, any issues on the bridge?”

“We positioned the Notms at a high orbit to avoid debris. Ska instructed my bridge crew on what to look out for coming from the planet, in case we do have to evade. Other than that, it’s standard routine.”

“Good. Tnsso, your status?”

“Well, I started doing inventory. All environmental systems are sufficiently stocked. I would like to freshen our water supply though. I don’t suppose we can ask the Terrans for any yet.”

Ska is too overworked to choose his words diplomatically, ”You mean like: ‘Hi, we come in peace. By the way, can we have some of your precious resources?’ No, we can’t do that.”

“Well, duh. I just said I don’t suppose. So we’ll have to find other sources – like back at the gas planet moons, maybe?”

L’bis hates the smell of bickering, “We did test the water in the lower levels of the Terran atmosphere. The planet is so polluted that precipitation is acidic and sucking up contaminants like a sponge. It’s not completely toxic yet, but we’d have to filter it, so it wouldn’t be any fresher than the water we already have. Now I suppose that mountain water directly from the springs is cleaner, we didn’t test that yet. But is it really necessary? This ship is designed to be self-sufficient. Aren’t there other materials we’re more likely to need?”

“Yes – we’ll have to see what we need after all repairs and any other materials we might use up building probes and so forth. I can’t really predict that now. The water thing is – I don’t know, it’s probably just my imagination.”

T’hem closes the session: “We calculated in any wear and tear when we stocked the Notms. And if we don’t want to ask the Terrans for anything – which I would prefer – we can easily find any elements we need on one of the outer planet moons, like Tnsso suggested. I’m not all too worried. So – maintenance is almost completed, and it doesn’t look like we need any major repairs. I would have been disappointed with myself if there had been, anyway. Only thing where there might be an issue are the sails, but judging from the performance data, we shouldn’t find any damage there. And our sensor sweeps of the ship’s exterior don’t show any significant hull impairments either, just a few scratches. But like I said, that would be a major design flaw, and I don’t make design flaws.” If even T’hem is losing her modesty, it’s definitely time to rest. “So anyway. I sent a report with all info we have gathered so far back to Tahw, and I intend to send regular updates home. I also want to call in a general assembly as soon as possible – once everything is settled. I’ll take Tsm’s advice now and rest, but don’t hesitate to disturb me should anything come up, or if there’s any breakthrough with communication.”


	3. There’s merit in old proverbs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Tahw are slowly getting a glimpse of Terran political systems, and are thoroughly confused. Who are they actually talking to? And who do they represent?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might have broken my determination not to get political. Uhm... Disclaimer: Keep in mind, this is from their point of view and (at this point) limited knowledge about us, so it doesn't necessarily reflect my personal opinions.

__

 

_M314-P3-PIS1 Species Development Update: T164/82/38:_

_Stage of development: Level 2 Space Exploration (defined as: exploring galaxy and beyond with signals, exploring own solar system with probes, exploring planet proximity with manned craft)._

_This stage of technological development is usually inherent with a certain social development. However, since we are dealing with predators, we must assume that we cannot make the same deductions here. For example, it is logical that due to facilitated travel and communication technology, there is a set of globally accepted norms. These norms vary from planet to planet, depending on conditions and species social structure, but they are always clear and necessary for trade coordination and coexistence. In fact, most sociologists will argue that any species that isn’t able to develop these norms will also never reach space exploration. But the Terrans (name determined for species PIS1) seem to prove us wrong. As predators, they are highly territorial, and the fact that they don’t use one universal language, and (more disturbingly) still engage in ongoing armed conflicts, shows that they still identify as a member of their packs (rather than as a member of their species). Also, different rates of pollution indicate an inconsistent approach to technology and planet health. In fact, most of the planet shows pollution at a scale more associated with Industrial stages of development._

_So how could they have gotten this far, and this quickly? Going back to the T103 findings, we observed a high level of scientific curiosity. We had determined sentience quite early on, a complex social structure, language and tool making. They weren’t the only species with these abilities on P3 (see T103 mission reports on PIS2-14 and PSS1-37), surprisingly most of them animal species and some of them predatory. But the Terrans showed the most potential. In fact, it became clear that they possessed intelligence when we saw trading between packs and attempts at sustainable use of resources – all exhibiting behavior beyond instinct. So, bringing it back to the present: territorial and other instinct hasn’t been eradicated, but scientific curiosity seems to be a driving force, and intelligence has let them understand (to a degree) the necessity for peaceful cooperation in order to thrive._

_Still, the speed of this development caught us by surprise. Our most optimistic estimates had them at an early industrial stage. We have found them very impatient, so much so that any territorial behavior, fear and other apprehension towards us seems almost quenched by their curiosity. We attribute this to their short life-spans. More advanced medicine and balanced nutrition has doubled, possibly tripled that life-span since T103, but it is still very short (in relative terms)._

_Yet this success does come at a price. Accepted theory postulates that any highly successful predator will inevitably destroy its habitat and thus extinct itself. This theory doesn’t doesn’t take sentience into account, which may be why the Terrans still exist. But they are at the limit. They have become too dominant, have taken over and eradicated (or greatly limited) the habitat of other species. I mentioned a sustainable use of resources earlier. While the use of agriculture defines sustainability in sentient animals, here it has been taken too far. There are whole stretches of land covered in agricultural fields, leaving no place for other plants to grow, other animals to graze. The cities are expansive, and in many cases have grown to the point where there is hardly any nature between them. Industry is creating toxic emissions (see attached data) and synthetic materials are floating in the oceans. All intelligence aside, a population of an estimated seven to eight billion will create waste, inevitably. Add limited resources and territorial instinct, and you will have armed conflict._

_Maybe this is also a reason for their interest in P4. In any case, we are still determining the extent of pollution, but the situation is dire. We do, however, see efforts at counter-measures, environmentally friendlier energy production and industrial processes. But is it too little, too late? This lack of foresight is confusing for us, but perhaps this can also be explained by their short life-span – leave it to the next generation to deal with the problem. Well, those living on that planet right now are that generation, and they have been left with an almost impossible task._

_Detailed data (toxin levels, population density, etc...) attached._

_L’bis, Biology Department_

_\-----_

_Comm-Link Notms (N) – Terran Orbital Station (S)_

_N: Hello station. I name C’ce. I ask?_

_S: Hello C’ce. Ask. We will answer. We also have questions._

_N: You science persons?_

_S: Yes. Scientists. You?_

_N: Scientists. Explore._

 

The bustling in the strategy room has quieted down a bit. Everyone is at their station, immersed in their tasks. Only Ska is mobile, moving from one to the other, trying to make order out of the chaos of information. There’s a saying on Tahw: ‘Confusion is as fruitless as panic is unproductive’. It is a meaningless and redundant proverb, but most of the team take it to heart, Ska tries to, and C’ce has probably adopted it as her personal motto. The key is to just start at a point of clarity, work your way through from there, and eventually it will unravel by itself.

Oesc takes a different approach. She embraces the challenge of the mystery, and tackles it straight on. Working from one point to the next is tedious and frustrating. And so is mindlessly collecting information and feeding it to a program. It’s why she keeps on overstepping her duties. “There you go! That should work!”

C’ce looks up from the neighboring console, “Thinking out loud again?” Well, she emits something approximate to that – they don’t talk out loud, obviously.

“Yeah. It’s a genius thing. You wouldn’t understand, Cee Cee.”

“You know, you’ve really missed your calling in comedy.” C’ce hates that nickname, which of course is why Oesc uses it. “So what should work?”

“I wrote an algorithm that analyses and sorts the satellite data automatically into type categories. Now I just have to feed everything to the computer, and it will do the work for me.”

“Yup. Laziness. Another genius thing. Or so I hear...” C’ce emits a smile. “Well, Ska will be pleased. He loves that sort of thing.”

“What are you working on?”

“I set up communication with the Terrans on the orbital station. T’hem kind of wants it to be something informal, you know, separate from the formal conversation with the group from the planet. Asking questions, getting to know each other, that sort of thing.”

Oesc has had a particular question in her mind all day, “Ask them about these strange symbols.” Oesc shows her what we would recognize as flags, “They seem to be common, and there are several of those on the station, outside and on the stuff the Terrans cover their bodies with.”

“Ok: Interesting...” C’ce moves the image to her comm thread.

 

_N: What is [image]?_

_S: Symbol representing a nation._

_N: What is nation?_

_S: A claimed territory. Region with own government._

_N: ?_

_S: Wait._

 

Oesc moves closer to C’ce in order to read along. “I don’t get it.”

“Well yeah. Hence the question symbol.”

Oesc points to one of the words, “What’s this mean?” She knows better than to think C’ce is ever completely clueless. C’ce isn’t any less of a genius, just like Oesc is anything but lazy.

“It’s something with governing.”

“So the symbols represent some governing body?”

“How about we wait, like they suggested, and see what they send us as an explanation?” C’ce can feel Oesc’s hyperactivity surfacing again, so she puts one limb on her back to subdue it.

It is then that Ska reaches their part of the room, “Any progress?”

Oesc, back to professional stoism (sort of... not really), changes the stream on her console to a data tree. “I’m having the computer sort the satellite data into types, so it’s easier to work with and to determine relevance. First into mathematical and sensory data, sound files and images. And then I made subsections of each: outcoming and incoming, communication, news, information, sound art, image art and so on... and this folder is for undetermined, nonsensical data.”

“Very good. We should ignore that last one for now, even if it’s by far the biggest, and focus on the news folder first. I want to understand their reactions to our arrival.” Ska’s mood is instantly lightened. C’ce notices and ‘winks’ at Oesc.

Oesc pretends to ignore, “Yes. We are dominating the headlines. They seem to be using video images a lot for their news, some sort of digital, audio-visual format. It’s usually people talking, with more pictures in the background and words and numbers streaming everywhere. It’s extremely confusing, but I guess it makes sense for a species mostly dependent on sight. I’ve isolated the files pertaining to us, like the Notms, me on P4, our initial messages, stuff like that. We’ve already identified a few relevant individuals.” She zooms in on a few images, “This group here shows up often, either all together or separately. They talk, and are often accompanied by the word ‘communication’, usually somewhere in the foreground. So I would guess that they are the team we are communicating with on Terra. There are also other individuals that show up a lot, but we still have to figure out what their role is. Probably experts, important politicians, I don’t know.”

Ska reaches over Oesc and scrolls through some of the news files, “Hmm, I think you’re right. It’s difficult to read the Terrans though. Some move more than others, particularly their upper limbs, but does that mean that they are more aggressive, or is that for emphasis, or is it a personal characteristic and means nothing?” He clicks and zooms in to a new video that the computer just filed there. It shows a group of Terrans surrounding one large man who is talking into an array of devices that Ska assumes are voice amplifiers (that this individual clearly does not need). He follows it while hoping, in vain, that would help him make sense of it, “Maybe L’bis can interpret these. She studied the T103 files extensively, and they did make studies on Terran non-verbal communication...”

As if summoned telepathically, L’bis enters the room and moves straight for them. But Oesc doesn’t notice, “See those fabrics there in the background? They have a pattern on them. C’ce and I were just discussing those. They seem to come in several variations. This one here is always with this individual. We asked the Terrans on the orbital station about it.”

“What did they say?”

C’ce answers this time, “Something about territories, We didn’t really understand, but they said to wait, so they are still sending us something to clarify, so...”

Instead of greeting them, L’bis just comes in from the side and includes herself in the conversation as if she’d been there from the beginning, “Well, he’s fat.”

Ska feels his structure of interaction violated, so he greets her back anyway, “So how was your medical assessment?”

“Tsm grudgingly gave me a clean bill of health. I told her that’s great because I can finally follow my life-long dream of treating myself to triple shifts.”

“You tease her for doing her job? That’s just mean.”

“Couldn’t help myself. Excessive seriousness just triggers that in me.”

“I’ve noticed.” Back to the original discussion though, “He’s fat? You mean the Terran in that file?”

“Yeah. I mean they are on average taller and bigger than at the time of the T103 mission – obviously, they would evolve that way with success and more advanced medicine. But this one here is definitely obese.”

Oesc just has to blurt out her input, “He’s old and unhealthy in general. His hide reflects strangely, and his head-fur is thin, but I think that’s an age thing.”

C’ce has her own conclusions: “I think he’s stupid too. I mean even for Terran standards.”

Ska gave up on trying to slow down those two four-limbers, “Why do you say that?”

“Well, he uses very simple terms. But it seems completely incoherent, without any grammatical structure. And he repeats himself often..”

“Well, those people surrounding him seem to be supporting him.”

L’bis is irritated by another fact, “What I notice is that all of them but one are male.”

“Are you sure about that? Are we really that good at determining their gender – I mean as long as they are covering themselves up like that? Why do they do that anyway?”

“Well, they have very little fur, so it’s to keep warm. But they also seem to do that in warmer regions, so I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure those here are mostly male. A patriarchal society is quite common with predators.” She notices another detail, “They all have a highly reflective skin, which seems strange as well. At their level of technology, travel is easy, so no matter what region they are from, I would have expected more diversity. Oesc, is that the case on all files?”

“Not really. I can’t always tell either, but I’ve seen all sorts of genders and ages and sizes...”

C’ce’s terminal signals an incoming message from the orbital station. She pulls it up. It’s a map of Terra showing country outlines and labeled with the corresponding banners. “So... apparently each symbol represents a certain region...”

L’bis follows these outlines. “But theses regions aren’t determined by geographical features. I mean, sometimes a river or mountain range runs along a border, but mostly there isn’t any clear reason why the line is there.

Ska has had a knot in his non-existent stomach ever since he saw that old, obese, and probably stupid Terran on that video, “L’bis, didn’t you say something about predators sticking to certain regions. Like their preferred hunting grounds... You know, territorial behavior?”

“Yes. I assume those symbols mark a territory claimed by a pack.”

C’ce has an epiphany, “Oh, now I understand the words they used. A ‘nation’ is a ‘claimed territory.” She is almost glowing like Oesc as she writes a note back to the station:

 

_N: I understand nation thank you_

 

Ska still has his mind on that wannabe alpha bully for sure idiot, “There are more than 200 of those ...nations. The symbols on the fabric on this video belong to one of the larger ones. So probably powerful? ...Well, I definitely don’t trust this one.”

C’ce agrees, “My grandmother always said: don’t trust an obese predator! Those simple terms I said he uses – a lot of them are aggressive, like ‘destroy’, or ‘fight’. And the word ‘technology’ comes up quite often, not only with him though.”

“Yes, well, I’m sure they would like to get their limbs on our technology. We have to be very careful about that. How about that group you mentioned, Oesc, the probable communication team? Can we tell who they represent?”

“I think there were symbols...” Oesc pulls up several videos and images from the ‘news’ folder, “Yes, here... several different ones either somewhere in the background or on the fabric covering them. They recur, but don’t seem to belong to any of those nations. Maybe symbols for research institutes or something?”

“Or military.” Ska, the pessimist.

L’bis, the optimist: “Well, they aren’t representing one specific nation. They seem diverse – we can assume a collaborative effort of sorts.”

C’ce, the situation settler, “I could ask?”

Oesc, the eager, “They have a symbol for everything. It would be a waste of time to figure out each one. Can’t we just ask directly who they represent?”

Ska considers it, “Yes. It’s a legitimate question. T’hem will want to continue official communication as soon as she’s back, so I’ll propose that. Meanwhile, I’ll review those videos.” He sets up a transfer link to his office, and then collapses the ‘news’ folder files for no reason whatsoever before making his way there.


	4. Some questions are worse left unanswered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Communication with Terra is slowly moving along. But why this impatience for a personal visit?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie – I’m starting to confuse myself. Also, I was rather proud of myself when I came up with that chapter title – now I’m like: what is that supposed to mean??  
> Sorry this took so long (the 'illustration' is the crude draft, but didn't want to make you have to wait even longer just to make a good one). ...This summer was stressful...

T’hem meant to take the direct route from her quarters to the strategy room, but somehow finds herself going the opposite direction, towards the back of the atrium. It isn’t until she almost bumps into C’ce that she remembers that the engines are not a priority. What is C’ce doing there anyway? “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you.”

“It’s because I’m not here.”

“I thought it’s because you’re young and short and I’m a huge clutsy seven-limber. But I guess your explanation is more diplomatic.” It’s true though, why didn’t she perceive her? “What do you mean by you’re not here?”

“I’m in the realm of my thoughts.”

“At least you’re not in mine, that would have worried me a little.” T’hem emits a puzzled smile, “Ok, you’re gonna have to elaborate.”

“I’m meditating. It helps me unscramble my brain. There are always several layers to a code. I have to jump back and forth between these layers to decode it. Sometimes I lose myself in that maze. This helps me find the exit.”

“I see. Well, I’m heading to the strategy room. I want to communicate with the Terrans right after Ska and L’bis updated me, so we’ll need you shortly.”

“Ok, I’ll be right there.” C’ce turns around and continues to disappear. She is walking along the edge of the hall, moving all four full limbs over the wall surface, the relief depictions of Tahw, first the planet with its three moons, over the capital city we Terrans wouldn’t recognize as such, then to a highly kitched-up sculpture of the northern waterfalls, to... well, to whatever I need to create a visual for an illustration – or did you really think there is any relevance whatsoever to this scene?

 -----

_Comm-Link Notms (N) – Terra Official Communication (T)_

_N: Hello we learn more. Talk?_

_T: Yes. Hello. Welcome again._

_N: You are [image]?_

_T: Yes. We are the first contact team. You are monitoring our satellites?_

_N: What is monitoring?_

_T: Watching_

_N: We are watching information. Explore. Learn understand Terrans._

_T: We also want to learn. To understand the Tahw._

_N: You are afraid._

_T: You have superior technology. We do not know you. We know almost nothing about you. We fear what we do not understand. But we are also curious. Explorers, like you._

_N: Do not fear. Peaceful._

_T: We have many questions._

_N: We answer questions. We do not give you technology. You are not ready._

_T: We are not ready for our own technology, to be honest._

_N: ?_

_T: We understand. We are not ready._

 

That was the answer T’hem was hoping for. While the satellite files show that this isn’t the sentiment shared by all Terrans, at least they are apparently talking to the right people. Apparently. T’hem doesn’t need to look over at Ska to know what he is thinking, “You don’t trust them.”

“We’ve encountered too much deceit by other species for me to trust anyone. It’s a rather foreign concept to us, but several species use deceit as a tactic to gain the upper hand in a trade negotiation, for example. We learned that the hard way. And it definitely fits to a predator like the Terrans, if at least for hunting.”

L’bis manages to find the silver lining everywhere, “But that is precisely why we could use them as allies. Their technology is obviously useless, but they might have some tactical knowledge we could use. Wasn’t that the whole point of the mission?”

“The point of the mission was to see how, if at all, the Terrans have developed. The urgency of the mission was to get to them before the Enott do. But an alliance was a possibility discussed for the distant future. We didn’t know that we would have to make first contact already.”

Urgency. There it is again. Another foreign concept that they were forced to learn. T’hem really shouldn’t let it take her over like this, “The purpose of our mission isn’t the discussion here. But you have a point L’bis. The Enott somehow managed to defeat a more advanced enemy by luring them into a false sense of security before attacking.”

“They stealth-cloaked their ships. Maybe we should have done that as well. Then we could have studied the Terrans in peace before making contact.” Ska is really not comfortable with the situation.

“We didn’t know that they would already have the technology to detect us. And even if we would have cloaked the whole vessel, and they wouldn’t have seen us, the wake of the super-photonic propulsion is not concealable. Ok, they might have put that off as a natural phenomenon, but it would definitely have sparked their interest. And ‘studying them in peace’ isn’t really an option anymore anyway.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. I just don’t like having to improvise,” Ska scrolls through images of the Terran communication team, hoping to find a clue as to their trustworthiness, but he just can’t read them. He then stops at a group picture and isolates the banners and clothing badges from the image, “We wanted to ask about these...”

“Right.”

 

_N: You represent all Terra?_

_T: Yes_

_N: You have many nations. You represent all?_

_[pause]_

_T: Yes. But there is some disagreement on how to proceed._

_N:?_

_T: We are many. Many people means many ideas, many interpretations..._

_N: I understand. What is symbols [images]?_

_T: Symbols for United Nations (organization uniting and representing all nations), NASA, ESA (space agencies), and various Research Institutes_

 

“So they do have some sort of global organization.” T’hem is almost surprised

Ska not so much, “I guess. But notice that they didn’t describe it as a global government. That would suggest that it has limited power and no real governing competence.”

“Well, they are part of the first contact efforts. But you’re right Ska, it might just be a symbolic presence. Ask Oesc to see if she can find any info on those organizations and institutes in their satellite transmissions.”

 

_N: You have questions. Send list._

_T: We will. Thank you._

 -----

_T’hem to Crew: T164/82/41:_

_I am calling a general assembly in the atrium at T//44. Attendance is mandatory._

_H’or to Ska: T//41:_

_We are done refitting the scout probe. We added a landing gear and a small bot, like suggested. It is programmed to collect data and samples, and is ready to be sent to the Terran moon. Should we proceed to do so?_

_Ska to H’or: T//41:_

_Yes, send it off. T’hem gave her ok. Land it on the coordinates where we saw Terran presence, and let it eventually expand its search from there. Be mindful to not disturb any artifacts you might come across._

\-----

A model of Terra is hovering over the main console in the center of the strategy room. Actually, it’s more like a table than a console, and the model isn’t a permanent sculpture – it’s kinetic, can be zoomed in and out of, turned, overlaid with whatever data is necessary, collapsed onto the table underneath and then pulled back out. It’s too solid to be called a hologram, but too malleable to be a simple sculpture. It’s also a technology beyond my meager Terran comprehension, and subsequently my descriptive skills. In any case, Ska and L’bis are studying it carefully, looking for the perfect location for a visit.

Ska doesn’t agree with L’bis’s choice, “It’s too close to cities.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Well, pollution, for one.”

“Tsm said that we can easily counter those effects at brief exposure. ”

“It’s also too easy for them to reach. Too exposed. Not all Terrans feel benevolent toward us. And think of the security risk for everyone involved if millions of curious Terrans stream out of the cities...”

“I’m sure that they can find a way to limit onlookers – if that’s what you’re worried about. Barriers, keeping the location secret until the last second...”

“That is impossible to keep secret – latest when we descend onto the planet with the shuttle, they’ll know.” Ska starts zooming out of the area to estimate the approach angles, but stops mid-way, “Why there anyway?”

L’bis is puzzled by the question, “Well, you said that this continent seems socially least questionable, and climate in this area is most like ours on Tahw. Well, right now it is, at least. Seasons change rapidly there.”

“Yeah, that’s another thing. I understand that they can’t wait to meet us personally, as curious and impatient as they are, but there are always dangers involved. Surely they must see those dangers as well. And why do we have to give in to that? Isn’t it much better to learn as much as possible from each other and plan everything in detail before such a meeting? I mean what difference does it make if we exchange information personally or with transmissions? Why the hurry?” Ska obviously can’t know that it’s the writer who is impatient to get to a more exciting plot point...

L’bis is more amused now than bemused. Should she alleviate his rising panic, or jab some more? “You’re the strategist. You tell me.” She chooses the latter. After all, he was the one who suggested that they start planning.

But he is too much of a professional to fall for it, “Well, we have to appease them a little, because if we become too ominous an entity, it will make them nervous and they’ll do something stupid. It’s also a respecting each other’s wishes and culture thing... I get it! I would have just preferred more preparation time.” He feels the urge to line up the data into equal rows, but resists it, just so he doesn’t have to smell her smugness, “...but we should chose a different location.”

“What do you suggest?”

“Something more remote. Same continent, similar climate but denser vegetation, less open field - and scarcely populated.”

“My worry with dense vegetation is that they might try to make the terrain more accessible, you know, just so it’s easier to set things up.”

“That’s possible, also for military purposes. More oversight.”

“See, and I don’t want us to be the cause for any destruction of nature, even if it would only affect a small, insignificant area.”

“It could be a test. Do they understand our intent with location choice? How matter-of-factly do they destroy nature?”

“Why do you want to test them?”

“To know what to expect, of course.”

“And if they fail?”

“Then we know. I don’t understand your objection.”

“You’re just setting them up for failure. That only makes everyone frustrated. And we might end up with preconceptions about them that are misleading.”

“But sometimes you have to make people fail. if you make it too easy, you will never know their limits. You’ll waste your time either explaining something that they already know, or something that they will never understand.”

“Wow, I really hope you go into teaching as an elder. The students will love you!”

“Potav has been trying to convince me to follow him to the university when I’m sick of travelling – you know, to tip the male professor ratio into our favor.”

“Yes, I heard that this is his last interstellar commission. That’s awesome, you two can torture students together.”

“Sarcasm really suits you.”

“Says mister cynicism personified...”

The exhausting odor of excitement waves over them from the other side of the room. The source is Oesc, of course. Had there been Terrans on board, they would have been blinded, but Ska is just wondering where C’ce is when you need her. Like a child who has noticed that they finally have someone’s attention, Oesc speeds over to the center table, propelling wads of soil behind her. “Sorry to interrupt, but this is... I managed to access their internet.”

“Their what?” Ska doesn’t really need any more excitement right now.

“Sorry, getting ahead of myself.”

‘Yes, yes you are.’ Is what Ska wants to say, but instead takes the pad that Oesc is dangling in front of them.

“So... looking through the satellite files, we discovered that the Terrans have something called the internet. It’s some type of global data network. We assumed that it is used for communication and news.” She pauses to take a breath. Although, since they don’t breathe like that, maybe it’s just for dramatic effect. “But it’s much more than that. Yes, also for communication and what I can only guess is entertainment. But it’s also a vast information database.”

“You mean like our scientific database?” L’bis plucks the pad out of Ska’s ‘hand’.

“Yes. All knowledge, historic and current, collected in one easily accessible directory.”

Ska regains control of the pad, but, after a feigned angry gesture from L’bis, connects the pad with the console for everyone to follow. “This is surprisingly complex and extensive for a species that only just entered level two.”

L’bis knows better, or thinks she does, as usual, “Not necessarily. Development always varies depending on what is warranted. It makes sense that a species with a short lifespan like the Terrans would prioritize developing a data network over, say, some feat in mechanical engineering.”

“True. How accessible is it, Oesc? Is it really global, or is it regional? Can all Terrans access it, or only specialists?”

“We’re still figuring that out, but from what we can tell there are billions of devices connected to it. And it was relatively easy for us to tap into. We just had to find the frequency, enhance the signal, and C’ce’s team wrote a program so that we can interact with it. I’ll start entering questions next – see what comes out.”

L’bis seems uncharacteristically disturbed, “Did you say billions of devices are interacting with this ...internet?”

“Yes-“

“Like a collective intelligence?”

Now Ska is catching on, “You mean like in a hive? I thought you ruled that out?”

“I did. Well, I said it’s highly unlikely. And all other behavior we have seen so far points much more towards packs.”

“Predatory hives are also territorial.”

“Yes, but packs have a much more complex social structure, and specialization.”

“Ok, but a collective intelligence would render all that unnecessary.”

“Eventually. Yes. But we don’t see that development here. ...Yet. ...I don’t know what to think of this. I’d like to move our probe beacons closer in so that we can better examine their behavior.”

“That’s too risky. If the stealth casing fails and any of our technology falls into Terran limbs...”

“Hmm.... ok, well the atmospheric analysis is more or less complete, the planet mapped – I’ll ask H’or to haul the beacons back in and see if he can enhance their range...”


	5. Unwarranted confidence at the entrance to the rabbit hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Terrans sent their list of questions. It’s a good thing that there are established rules and protocol for first contact engagement. Theoretically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added some philosophy to the speculation this chapter. Wasn’t boring enough, I guess. Well, I have to satisfy all the aspects of my inner nerd somehow.

The general assembly is coming to a close. And that’s a good thing, because the atrium air is thick with a throng of emotions – despite the ventilation system running on full power. As the author, I am thankful as well, because I would have had to repeat myself yet again with all the department summaries had I entered earlier. Thank the meta-god that the readers are spared that redundancy (for once)! T’hem is relieved as well. Everyone is on the same page, they were able to clear up some of the confusion, duties and next steps are determined. And she can finally return to the task at hand – answering the list of questions that the Terrans had sent earlier.

But first she patiently waits while her crew disperses in all directions. She watches her maintenance team follow Tnsso toward the bowels of the ship to pick up their environmental suits, so that they can finally check on hull and sails. She watches H’or instruct his team at the lab entrance before he himself joins a group making their way to the habitational areas. She ‘smiles’ as Potav reluctantly does not and strolls to the bridge instead. He is nearly as reluctant as Oesc, who almost needs to be forcibly pulled by Tsm toward the Med Labs while she looks back at C’ce for help. In vain, because C’ce just dismisses the ridiculousness and mockingly ‘skips’ to catch up with L’bis and the rest of the task force on the way to the strategy room. Only Ska stays behind with T’hem. They will answer those questions together – it is a somewhat strategically delicate matter, after all.

“Should we have asked C’ce to join us?” Ska has watched the scene as well.

“Well, we already worked through the questions earlier, and she fitted my console with a translation program that is automatically updated with their progress. So we should be ok.”

“Ah, so that’s where she was.” ...when they needed her...

“Were you looking for her?”

“No, just... never mind. So how strange are their questions?”

“Well, there are some weird ones, but mostly they’re obvious and straight forward.” They reach T’hem’s office. The Terran questions are still displayed on the main console – well, the Tahw translation of them is.

“That list is surprisingly short.” Ska has been bracing for yet another flood, and is pleasantly surprised.

T’hem reads his mind, “Don’t be too assured just yet. I think this is just a first part. The questions are quite broad. I’m sure they are keen on more details. They took a while to comprise their list – and you can tell that they are still trying to read us, not overwhelm us, see how we react.... so depending on that, I’m sure they will come with more.”

“Probably. But that’s ok. As long as it’s not all at once. We should answer just as broadly for now – enough information to reassure them, to let them understand our intent, but without revealing any technology or anything that they aren’t ready for. You know – keep them on a need to know basis.”

“I agree. Well, the first few questions are about how many other sentient species are out there, whether they are benevolent or hostile in nature – “

“You know what this seems like? They were so curious that they sent out signals and probes to make contact with any potential alien species, but now that it’s a reality, they are suddenly scared and regret that path.”

“Yes. But that’s endearing.” T’hem is reminded of her sprouthood, when she would take apart every electronic or mechanical item she could find, just to see what’s inside. Instead of scolding her, her parents congratulated her preemptively on how well they know she will put everything together again. She had no choice but to figure out how, “That’s probably how we would have felt if our first contact with an alien species had been at that stage.”

“Probably. Not everyone can be as smart as the Oras and hide the whole planet behind stealth shielding, well, until contact was rendered inevitable anyway.”

“Hiding in a realm of finite resources can only go well for so long...” T’hem isn’t sure just how smart isolationism really is, “Anyway, so the next group of questions is about us, our home world, are we really a plant species, how we found them, how we got here, and so on...”

“Also about our technology?” Ska can see where this is going.

“There is one question on whether we used something that they called a ‘generation ship’, or whether we were somehow able to exceed the ‘speed of light’. And if so, how were we able to solve the problem of time dilation.”

“I guess we can answer the first part broadly, but the second part is too specific.”

“We can explain it the way we were taught as sprouts, that we aren’t traveling through space with time, but rather jumping from place to place, so that things like time dilation and limits like photon speed are irrelevant. It’s very simplified, but anything more specific is way beyond their understanding anyway.” Phew, did I dodge that bullet – I am definitely not researching possible theories on intergalactic travel! Nope!

Ska does whatever the Tahw equivalent of a shrug is, “That should work. So what is the last group of questions?”

“What we know about them. If we would be willing to help them with their issues – at least point them in the right direction. And another invitation to a personal meeting.”

“Ok, so the invitation we can accept, but we should be the ones to determine the coordinates – L’bis and I fixed two or three locations that we can suggest as a choice. What we know about them, we should keep as vague as possible, same with whatever we say about us and other species. The question is whether we let them know that we have been here before.”

“I think we should. I want to be open – vague and broad, yes, but open. What I find interesting is that they are asking for help. That’s quite bold, especially after we made it clear that we are not willing to share technology. Or are they just that desperate?”

“Well, at least they acknowledge that they have a problem.”

“And that they might not be able to solve it by themselves.” T’hem continues the thought. Do they really know just how dire it is?

“Yes, but again, there is a reason why there are rules against interfering in other cultures and species’ development.”

“Of course. But now we are opening a new discussion about at what point do you break those rules, when the survival of a whole species is at stake.”

“The general philosophy is that if extinction is where a species is headed, then maybe this is where they are meant to go. It’s nature’s way of creating a balance.”

“Do you really believe that? What about a loss of potential?”

“Do you see potential in the Terrans?”

“I don’t know. But I don’t want to give up on them just yet.”

“Well, we can’t. Because if the Enott find them, they will enslave them to their bidding, and ensure their survival in the worst way possible.”

“So basically what you’re saying is that we have no choice but to help them, and that this entire philosophical discussion is moot.”

“Well yes, like philosophical discussions generally are.”

\-----

_Ska to L’bis: T//45:_

_Please prepare the visit to the planet, as discussed. We gave the Terrans a choice between two of our proposed locations. I will let you know as soon as they reply. T’hem wants to keep the landing party small. I’m still trying to convince her to stay behind, but I’m afraid I’ll be unsuccessful. I want to come along for security reasons, and you should come as well, because you can probably interpret their mannerisms and behavior best. We also want to take C’ce to operate our translator. Lastly, we might want Tsm to join us, in case some unforeseen medical problem comes up._

_I will be back at the strategy room shortly. Meanwhile, consult with Tsm about setting up decontamination and whatever protective gear we should use... I will let you know the timeframe when I know more._

_L’bis to Ska: T//45:_

_Acknowledged and initiated._

_H’or to Ska: T//45:_

_My team just sent me the first data from the scout probe on the Terran moon. So far, it is quite inconclusive after what we already saw with our sensors. They definitely landed there at some point, but they didn’t set up any permanent structures. They did however leave a large number of inoperational probes and lander debris. To me it looks a little like an abandoned mission, but maybe that’s just my interpretation. Most of the objects we found coincide more with the UN1 and 2 probes than with their more recent technology. But this is data from only about 15% of the surface, so that might change._

_The reason I’m writing you is that one of the things that they left behind was a fabric with one of those nation symbols that you told me about earlier. Does that mean that this particular nation is claiming the moon as their territory? Actually, most of the debris has the symbol of one of only two nations attached somewhere (there are a few exceptions). I don’t know what that implies, it’s not my field of knowledge, but I thought I should let you know. I instructed my team to expand the search perimeter and to send you and L’bis the data._

_Ska to H’or: T//45:_

_Thank you for the info. That is somewhat disturbing, but I will look at the data. If it indeed resembles an abandoned mission, like you say, that might actually be a good thing, because it implies an arms race between nations that has been discontinued – that they are taking things slower now. There was no sign of that on P4, and the orbital station dawns more than one symbol – all more recent missions._

 -----

Within the herd, seclusion is a foreign concept, and the habitational section of the Notms reflects that. Privacy isn’t a thing, and they don’t really have a sense of ownership and property. But just like each member of the crew does have preferences about their workspace, the same is true for their restingspace. So for that reason, and to avoid chaos and confusion, the recreational area (lovingly called ‘the field’) in the middle is flanked with rooms allocated to the various crew members. Or actually, they are more alcoves than rooms. Doors don’t exist either. The only fully enclosed spaces are the photoncharging cabins on one end. The whole thing is covered with a translucent ceiling – a dome, if you will – that, being part of the hull, probably gave T’hem the most headache at construction. The engines were the easy part – giving in to some interior architect’s vision without creating a structural weak point, not so much. The floor is coated with soil from the home world that is constantly raked by the way the Tahw move over it.

Usually, about one third of the crew is occupying the area at a time, and most of them are on the field, socializing or playing one of various skill-enhancing games. That is the case right now as well. Only five alcoves are occupied, one of them by Oesc, who is standing at her console, completely mesmerized, as usual. She has loaded the internet access program, and is entering questions:

_‘What is a slug?’_

_‘What is a whale?’_

Just then, C’ce enters, “You’re not resting.”

“What do you mean? This is resting! Did Tsm get to you too?”

“She didn’t need to. My shift is over and I want to relax a little before the trip to the planet.”

“Yeah – I’m kind of jealous that you get to go.”

“You were on P4. And they wanted to keep the landing party small. I’m sure you’ll get a chance eventually.” To be honest, C’ce is a little nervous about this trip, “So what are you doing?”

“I found this page on their internet where you can just ask questions, and it will give you a whole list of answers. I was just entering names that the Terrans are using for our ship.”

“They give it names? That’s strange. They do have a word for spaceship.”

“Several names, actually. It’s mainly animals that kind of look similar. No idea why they do that. Maybe to make it less menacing?” She starts typing a new search.

_‘What is a dild-’_

But before she can finish, C’ce takes over and types in her own question instead:

_‘What we know about the Tahw?’_

“That was the first thing I put – well, not a whole sentence...” Oesc hates it when C’ce is better at something, “It’s easier when you’re more specific, or else you get I don’t know how many answers.”

“Whoa! I see what you mean.” She points out the number on the right of the screen, “See those symbols? They are what the Terrans use for numbers. If I read this correctly, this has more than threehundredthousand results!”

“How is that possible?”

“I don’t know. They can’t know that much about us.”

“Maybe, if there really are billions of devices attached to this network, every scientist and researcher who is studying us will have some answer to enter for this question.” See, Oesc can be smarter too.

“That makes sense, and is true for every question you can think of. It’s probably repetitive, but still, this explains why the internet is so extensive. It would take a lifetime – several lifetimes – to search through the whole database.” C’ce pauses for a moment. She has meant to relax. But a young scientist like her is just too easy a victim of curiosity. She clicks on the first link. The two translation programs immediately transform it into a Tahw data stream.

Oesc expands the console to make it easier to look on. They will be there for a while, why not make themselves comfortable.


	6. What is wrong with these people?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Preparations for the trip to the planet are under way. But, as Oesc puts it: ‘this internet thing is a bottomless pit of strange.’ Do they have to change their plans? The more they learn about these strange beings, the more confusing it becomes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had a little fun, at our expense...

The Notms has one main access hall, a foyer of sorts. It is in the belly of the ship and leads right to storage – actually bleeds into it in a way. The lack of doors makes it kind of difficult to distinguish the various sections. Anyway, suffice to say that efficiency and short routes were key to the design process here. The walls are lined with everything you might need when leaving the ship; environmental gear, toolkits, flight suits, magnetic tethers (at least I think that’s what they are)...

The center of the hall (or hangar, maybe?) is pretty much taken over by the two shuttles, the large one that they used on P4 (with the cruiser still inside), and one about half the size but of similar construction. L’bis is standing in front of them with H’or, somewhat indecisive, “I think we should go with the smaller one.”

“How many are coming along?” H’or is just glad that he’s not one of them. On second thought, no he isn’t. He’s jealous. Curse his inner explorer!

“We’ll probably be five.”

“Then the smaller shuttle is definitely large enough. It holds a crew of up to eight, so...”

“Yes, also including all the equipment. Just, if we decide to take the cruiser along...”

“Are you planning on touring the planet on your first visit?”

“I doubt it. T’hem and Ska will want to keep it brief.” She looks back and forth one more time, “Yeah, no, definitely shuttle 2. It will also be less intimidating for the Terrans.”

“Ok, so we’ll adjust the sensors on that one to the specifications you sent me. And I’ll instruct the tech team to double-check if the comm links to all the sensors are working properly. There was a bit of a lag when we were on P4. I think we had miscalculated the atmospheric density and that’s even more of a factor here. And all those satellite signals might create some interference as well.”

“Yes, definitely.” L’bis looks around for Tsm, who she finds at the access gateway with Tnsso, discussing the decontamination curtain that surrounds the exit. She walks over to join them (while H’or stays back to decide where to attach additional sensors), “So we’re taking shuttle 2.”

Tsm feels interrupted, even though she has finished talking. That happens to her a lot. You would think it’s confusing with soundless communication to distinguish between thinking and speaking, but Tsm is probably the only one who still gets confused sometimes, with something every two-limber can master. “Ok. has the shuttle interior been sterilized?”

Tnsso takes a second to realize that the question is addressed to him, “It was when we left Tahw, and hasn’t been used yet, so it should be. But I can send another dose through it, for good measure.”

“Yes, please do that. The curtain should take care of the exterior. And attach the decon-cabin to the shuttle door – is it large enough to fit T’hem?”

“Yes, it’s expandable to fit up to three individuals at once.”

“Ok, perfect!” I mean, she did order it, but you never know, “Also, we intended class two protective suits for the landing party, but we hadn’t anticipated this level of pollution. I would prefer we use the class three. There should be some in storage.”

“Yes, there are. But they weren’t fitted with stealthing. The class two were.”

“Oh... That’s ok, it’s an official meeting. We don’t need stealthing. Can you place five of those inside the shuttle along with all the other gear? And make sure all that is sterilized as well.”

“Ok, no problem.” Tnsso enters the items into his pad and moves over to H’or to complete the list.

Meanwhile L’bis and Tsm walk back up toward the atrium. L’bis is trying to respect Tsm’s need for tranquility, but let’s face it, that’s not happening, “Won’t the class three suits make communication between us difficult? They block our pheromones as well.”

“So would the class two. That’s the whole point. We don’t want to unintentionally poison anything on Terra. Even if the amounts used for communication are negligibly low, I don’t want to take that risk. You’ll have to do with tapping.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Not what I prefer, but you’re right.” L’bis always found tapping slow and limited. If only pride of seniority wouldn’t stop her from asking Oesc for advice. “Have you ever heard one of Oesc’s tapping poems?”

Tsm was clearly hoping that the conversation was over. “No. I’m just glad that she has a more subdued hobby as well.”

“Haha! Yes. A counterbalance.”

Thankfully, they reach the Med Lab. But just as Tsm is about to enter, they see C’ce and Oesc scurrying through the atrium, “Speaking of...”

“Well, they’re in a hurry!”

“Yeah, and I told them to rest and relax.”

“They don’t smell relaxed. They smell worried.” L’bis hasn’t ever observed that on either of those two, “Something’s up. I’ll follow them.”

\-----

_Comm-Link Notms (N) – Terra Official Communication (T)_

_N: You know planet is broken?_

_T: Yes. We know. We are fixing it._

_N: What is fixing?_

_T: Making better. Mending._

_N: I understand. We see fixing. We see breaking._

_T: Some of us do not help._

_N: Why?_

_T: They do not believe or care._

_N: What is meaning believe? Terrans say often._

_T: Believe is to explain what we do not understand._

_N: Pollution is not hard understand._

_T: It is not._

_N: Why not care?_

_T: Greed._

_N: What is greed?_

_T: To take and want everything, even when you do not need it._

_N: Why? When you do not need it? I do not understand._

_T: For some self is more important than group._

_N: Or planet?_

_T: Yes._

_N: Strange. Planet broken, all die._

_T: We are not all like this._

\-----

T’hem is still trying to process the conversation she’s been having with the Terrans as Oesc and C’ce storm into her office. Their emissions aren’t exactly reassuring, “What’s the matter?”

“We’re not sure. But this internet thing is... I don’t know... a bottomless pit of strange. And not necessarily in a good way.” Oesc doesn’t know how else to formulate it. And she is rarely incoherent. Incoherent – maybe that would have been the right description. “Ska should see this as well.”

T’hem gestures toward the bridge, where she knows Ska to be, and C’ce moves toward the connecting archway to call him. He is somewhat annoyed to have to end his conversation with Potav, but comes over anyway. C’ce without her calm is not a sign of anything good, “Is it urgent? Potav was giving me piloting instructions for the shuttle. There might be issues with atmospheric entry...”

Oesc enters something into the main console. A stream of data and translated images pop up, “I couldn’t help myself – low chlorophyll levels notwithstanding – and searched some more through that internet. I found several pages where you can enter questions, or any term really, and it will give you a long list of answers, other pages to look at, etcetera.”

“Sounds practical enough.” L’bis, who has just caught up with them, includes herself without greeting again.

This time Ska doesn’t seem to care, and instead goes over to the second console and mirrors the data there to accommodate. He reads what Oesc types in as an example, “ _Who are the Tahw?”_

Oesc continues, “So at first I was kind of having fun with it. Asked random terms that I came across. But then C’ce and I went more into detail on what they have about us, and looked at the suggested pages. First of all, there are often several thousands of those suggestions. The first few are usually quite similar to their satellite transmission. Information and news. But the further down the list you go, the stranger it gets.” She expands the results and opens several links at the bottom, “These pages look like the other ones, but the information is completely false.”

L’bis clicks on one of them, “Theories, maybe? Speculation?” A page opens with a headline in large font (it’s also red, but they’re oblivious to that), all capitalized: _‘BEWARE OF THE SPACE ENTS, HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE ALIEN INVASION!_ ’

C’ce explains, “That’s what we thought at first. Even this – we can’t expect all the Terrans to trust us. So if some think that we are here to invade and exploit their resources, that’s not unexpected. What is disturbing is that these articles are formulated as if they were fact. Not like a theory, but in the same way proven truth is written. The text is often, but not always, larger and the expressions used simpler, but other than that, it’s indistinguishable from factual news. And this is where gets really weird..” She goes even further down the list. The headline here says: ‘ _My encounter with the Tahw_.’ “This is one of several articles we found where people claimed to have been abducted by us. That we did experiments on them – all sorts of weird allegations.”

T’hem is shocked, “What? Why would they say that?”

L’bis less so, “To get attention possibly. Some lonely individual – a pack omega maybe who wants to make some sort of impact. Or possibly someone with mental health issues and a big imagination.” She’s not completely wrong...

Oesc feels the need to clarify, “Yes, if there were five or ten of those, but we found several hundred. And that’s just an example. There are stories about how we left mining equipment on Mars – their name for P4 – to extract resources, that we secrete poison that we plan to release into their atmosphere, that we are scouts for an invasion force already on the way... and we only looked at a small fraction of the pages.”

C’ce adds, “And again, all this written like factual news.” She can smell the room filling up with confusion and concern, and remembers her role in the crew, “The positive thing is that this is usually far along the list. The first several pages are all news and, yes, also speculations about us, but those are labeled as such. So I don’t think that all Terrans are being misinformed.”

“Space Ents?” Ska surprises everyone with lack of panic, but maybe that’s for self-preservation, because meanwhile he has smoothed out the soil perfectly flat around the foot of the console.

“Uhm, Yeah. They have several names for us. Ents is a common one.”

“I see.” Ska resists the urge to investigate further (for now), and tries to first concentrate on possible implications, “T’hem, you shouldn’t come along to the landing mission.”

“But I have to.” Admittedly, this has her shaken a bit, but... “That’s part of my duty as mission head – it’s standard first contact protocol.”

“Since when are you so stuck on protocol?”

“I told you before, I have been looking forward to this. And it’s important as a message of trust.”

“What trust?”

“Look, you’re exaggerating again. We will insist on only meeting a very small group – preferably the communication team that I believe we have a decent rapport with – and that we don’t want to make any political scene of it.”

“First of all, we can’t expect them to not dispatch some military – at least on standby nearby – and some sort of news team to report on the meeting. But that’s not what I’m worried about. I worry about all the crazies with stupid ideas that have been rallied up by these internet articles. Remember when I said that we observed unsettled behavior in the cities? Our beacons showed remnants of fires and other destruction. It’s probably from a panic that happened when they detected us. It has subdued somewhat by the time we arrived, and the Terrans are cleaning it up, but it goes to show how easily they can be agitated. In pack thinking, the best way to defeat a superior enemy is to get rid of their leader. That would be you.”

“I will have to risk that.” T’hem remembers her role as well and tries to bring him on the same page, “As a strategist, how high do you calculate that risk?”

“Well, it’s not in the interest of the Terrans to aggravate us in any way. At least that’s what their logic would dictate. So the official team would try everything to keep us safe, to accommodate us. They agreed to all our terms so far. So that risk is small.” Ska is swayed by reason again. The question is if reason is what they are dealing with here. “Small, but not zero. I’m just giving you my advice. There are other ways to be present. A projection of sorts, for example. But that’s your decision. ...I’ll see what I can find about the communication team on this internet thing.”

“Ok, Thank you.” T’hem asks C’ce to join her at her console, “Show me more.”

Ska transfers the internet access program to the strategy room, but somewhat resignedly goes back to the bridge first.

While T’hem and C’ce look for information useful to their mission, L’bis starts entering the coordinates of their chosen landing site at the other console. She wants to see what she can find about the biology of the area, flora, fauna, geological formations... But Oesc has other plans: “I want to show you something.” She takes control of the interface and enters: ‘ _Cat images’_ , “What do you know about these animals?”

L’bis doesn’t understand how this is in any way relevant, but goes along with it, “A carnivorous predator. Exists in several variations. Some are rather large and aggressive. Some species live in packs, but many hunt alone and only meet for mating. The T103 mission saw attempts by the Terrans of domesticating small ones similar to these (Species PSS4, I believe it was), but they were not very successful. Why do you ask?”

“Well, they seem to have succeeded now. I’m asking because there are more images of this animal than of any other. Everywhere, in all variations. Also short videos with words on them that make no sense.” Oesc scrolls through countless cat-memes, “PSS? So they’re sentient?”

“Potentially so. But you never know. Looks like they did evolve into quite a variety. If indeed the Terrans managed to domesticate them, maybe they also genetically altered them. They definitely did that with species ...PSS3 – a pack predator much like them. The T103 mission actually even observed collaborated hunting – it’s quite fascinating.” Oh no, there we go again...

“Do you mean these?” Oesc types in “ _Dog Images_.”

“Yes! See how many variations they have of those? Some look very different from the original animal. They were apparently easier to domesticate, we’ve seen them tagging along with the Terrans – living together with them. The ...what were they called? Cats? They live among the Terrans as well, but it seems to be a different kind of relationship. There is a T103 study on domestication – I’ll look for it. It was mainly animal herds for food and transportation, but also other predators. It will be interesting to see how that developed. I wonder if H’or is done adapting the beacons...”

“Well, the dogs are popular as well, but I just thought it’s strange how these cats pop up everywhere, sometimes even when you’re looking for something entirely different. What could that mean? Could they be seen as some sort of deity?” Oesc had a reason to ask L’bis about the memes, and it was not to hear a whole essay on PIS1 animal domestication.

L’bis snaps out of her nerd daydream, only to enter into a different one, “That’s possible. Several sentient cultures believe in deities well beyond reaching space exploration. I mean there are even some Tahw who still don’t rule out the existence of the river spirits... I’ll look into it. Certainly an interesting subject.”

“Yes, that’s why I wanted you to see this. The landing trip is more urgent, of course...” Oesc didn’t want to divert from proceedings.

L’bis almost let it happen too, “Yes. Of course.” And with that she returns to studying the landing site.


	7. Welcome to our toddler world

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s time to visit the planet. Exciting? Necessary? Premature? Destined to fail?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally some (poorly written and underwhelming) action!  
> Sorry I took so long to post this. I have several excuses, but they're all bad, so...

The shuttle feels cramped. Maybe they should have taken the large one after all. But no – L’bis was right, that might have been too intimidating. And to be honest, there is more than enough space in here. But then why does T’hem feel the need to tuck her limbs in? And why do L’bis and Ska, who are not much smaller, feel unable to stretch theirs? Why is Tsm checking the completeness of her kit for the third time. And why is C’ce convinced that the stump that will be her fifth limb has doubled in size the last five minutes? One could say that the silence is deafening, but we are describing the inside of a Tahw vessel – silence isn’t unusual here. Plus, that contradictory sentence doesn’t make any sense. My bad. I was stuck, so I busted out some stupid literary tool. Sorry, won’t happen again. ...Who am I kidding, it probably will.

Anyway, Ska is maneuvering the shuttle out of the dock with the precision of an insecure perfectionist. He is trying to remember why he volunteered for this. Anyone from the landing party could have done it. Piloting a shuttle is to a Tahw what driving a car is to the Terrans. Yes, dodging debris and entering a planet atmosphere at the right angle can be a little tricky, but that’s where the autopilot comes in. He didn’t have Potav’s team program the parameters for nothing. So he swallows that insecurity, and as soon as they are out of the Notms, he turns the shuttle toward the planet and makes an entry into the mission log.

 

_Shuttle two launched at T164/82/49. Estimated arrival in 0.13R. Everything clear so far._

 

It looks like the shuttle has no windows, but it does. Simple transparent panes would be useless, so the hull is equipped with several screens that display the outside sensor data on the inside, in a way visible to the Tahw. T’hem is watching the planet inching closer, and tries to imagine the marvel that the Terrans must feel at this sight. But it makes her homesick, so she turns away, “So. Any last minute input before we arrive?”

Tsm starts off, “What I forgot to mention; the gravity on the planet is 1.4 times that what we are used to, so expect to feel heavy and slow. It will take some time to get used to.”

“And it will make us more vulnerable.” Everyone sneers at Ska for making them even more nervous, “Just saying...”

“Well, at least the protective suits were designed in a way that they shouldn’t additionally impede our movement. But they might still feel constrictive at first, so please resist the urge to remove them. You will get used to that as well. I’m guessing most of you have worn one before?”

All nod except C’ce, “Only a class one.”

“It’s similar – better actually, because with the class three that we are using, any pads can be integrated so they’re not as awkward to handle. The suits also offer some protection from uncomfortable temperature and compensate for pressure, but that shouldn’t be an issue here anyway.”

L’bis agrees, “Yes, the site we chose is at an altitude where the air pressure is comparable to Tahw, and the temperatures are similar as well, this season and time of the day anyway. We sent one of the cloaked beacons ahead, and it reads a temperature of 295AZ at the moment, no precipitation, but the surrounding terrain provides a humidity within an acceptable range.”

T’hem has seen the site schematics. It’s a plateau within a mountain range not too far from one of the smaller cities. Accessible, but not too easily so, “Do we have to worry about the wildlife? I mean we asked the Terrans to close the area off from any unwanted visitors, but still.”

“Well, the plants are all stationary, and as far as we can tell there is only one dangerous predator active in that region, but it is scarce, shy, and a carnivore, so...”

“Ok. Ska, anything to add?”

“I think we covered everything in the briefing earlier. Just remember to stay close – to the shuttle and to each other. Whatever happens, don’t disperse. And don’t panic right away if the Terrans do something unexpected. We studied their greeting culture, but it varies and they might try something completely different. Remember, this situation is even newer to them than to us. They are even less prepared and more nervous.”

“I’ve been wondering, C’ce, have they made any attempt to learn our language? Could they try something with that?”

“Their computers aren’t nearly as sophisticated as ours, so they are making only very slow progress. At least they’ve been interviewing several frustrated yet optimistic experts on their news. We are attaching our version to each transmission, so that’s helping. But I don’t think they’ll risk it yet. ”

T’hem returns to her equivalent of gazing out the window. It’s a good thing she did, or else she would have missed the Terrans on the orbital station waving at them as they fly by. And it’s a good thing that she did study their greeting culture, because now she actually understands what that means.

\-----

_Oesc to Landing Party: T//49:_

_We’re monitoring the Terran transmission of the meeting as requested. Update so far: The various news broadcasts are showing a permanent image from the landing site – from several angles (which is very helpful for our image translation). They have some live feed going that switches between those cameras and one more that is pointed at the sky. Their meeting party has already arrived. We can recognize four of the people from their first contact team, and two others. One I have never seen before, and one we’ve seen on other news. He seems to be connected to this ‘United Nations’ somehow. They are waiting at the edge of the site, talking to each other and handling some sort of equipment that looks like their mobile computers and communication devices._

_Transposed on top of this live feed (very confusingly) are all sorts of other images and texts related to the meeting: We can conclude that a perimeter has been set up – with some sort of barriers, vehicles and individuals, possibly military (including weapons), securing that perimeter. The leveled paths that lead up to the site have been blocked as well – which is a good thing, because there are convoys of Terrans trying to get there. I can’t tell how many they are from these transmissions, but it looks like the Terran authorities have prepared for this. The site is quite remote, and the closest city is rather small, so we can hope that they can handle it. Some of these images are apparently from earlier, because the shadow angles are different and they were clearly shot from one of their flying vehicles, and they say that now they have set up a ‘no-fly-zone’ for the region. I’m assuming that means that no flying vehicles are allowed there – at least I’m hoping that’s what that means. It is kind of difficult for us to understand which pictures are from earlier and which ones are live. I guess it makes sense to them._

_They also show interviews with several Terrans. Some seem to just be individuals that they randomly picked out of a crowd somewhere in a city. Others are scientists, experts, or politicians. Another thing that is difficult for us to distinguish is whether they are happy, excited, scared, or angry. It all looks similar to us. But, judging from the words that they use, all these emotions exist. Which makes sense. One powerful politician that they’ve interviewed seems to be unhappy with how our meeting is set up – something about looking weak, that they will ‘sell’ the planet and make a ‘very bad deal’, whatever that means. Maybe C’ce can make sense of it, but it definitely doesn’t sound friendly. Yet others seem excited about ‘the beginning of a new era’._

_So, to sum up what we can deduce from their news transmissions: They seem to be well prepared and are respecting our wishes. That they wouldn’t be able to keep the landing site secret was to be expected. Most Terrans seem to be more excited than apprehensive, but not all, including some politicians, agree with their course of action. We will keep on monitoring, give you regular updates, and let you know if anything out of the ordinary happens._

_H’or to L’bis: T//49:_

_Our scout probe has finished a complete sweep of the Terran moon. We found more remains of Terran activity, but again mainly debris. There are a few things still in use, like an orbiter and these reflective panels that the Terrans are periodically bouncing bundled photon beams off of. My only explanation is that it’s for determining distance. The orbital diameter of their moon is slowly increasing, but at a rate that shouldn’t have too much of an effect. But I guess it’s relevant enough to them._

_The bot is still taking a few samples right now (from the debris and the ground), and then we will have the probe return to the Notms for analysis. I will brief you in detail when you return from the planet._

\-----

The entry into the atmosphere was a little shaky, as expected, but now that they are almost at their designation, the ride is calm. Ska is trying to relish this tranquility, but he can’t shake the thought that it’s the calm before the storm. There are no clouds, so they can ‘see’ the city below them. The rooftops and streets are crowded with Terrans looking up at the sky, waving and holding out signs. (The Terrans are holding signs, not the rooftops... grammar is exhausting!) C’ce is trying to read them (the signs, not... never mind), but they are passing too quickly, so she zooms in and has the computer make some sort of screenshot. “ _’Welcome to Earth’_ , ‘ _Take me with you’_ , ‘ _Go home’_. Ok, well, mixed messages there.”

“Earth? That’s another name for their planet, right?” T’hem is transfixed on the scenery, “Well, Earth is a pretty planet. I’d hate to have to ‘go home’ without knowing that it’s safe.” Why did that just sound like a mafia threat? She changes her screen image to the view in front of them. The mountain range that hosts their landing site is now in clear view.

Ska enters the pre-programmed landing sequence into the autopilot, and then switches his viewscreen to a steeper angle. He follows the road that leads towards the mountains. “Here’s the convoy that Oesc was talking about. It’s hundreds, but they don’t seem to be moving much. Hopefully they conceded to the fact that they can’t get there. There’s increased military activity the closer we get. I don’t know if that is reassuring or worrying.”

The landscape opens up to the plateau. They can now see that the area has been fenced off for them. Ska wants to take a closer look at the armed Terrans surrounding the site, but he has to concentrate on the landing. Autopilot or not, precision without supervision is a perfectionist’s nightmare. But the landing is perfectly smooth, maybe a slight skid on the rocky surface, but other than that... The five members of the landing party all slip into their protective suits. These function like highly sophisticated hazmat suits, but don’t look anything like that. In fact, they hardly look like anything at all. Taken out of their sterile packaging, they just resemble large transparent plastic sacks, but once slipped over their bodies, the suits compress themselves to fit smugly like a second skin (or should I say bark?). I have no idea what that material is, but it’s basically a transparent protective membrane that adapts to size and limb-number of each user.

Before leaving the shuttle, Ska makes another visual sweep of the area. The forest that surrounds about two thirds of the clearing are not exactly as assessable as he had hoped, so he enters something into the console, “I increased the range of the shuttle’s shields to include some of the surrounding. Don’t move further away than 29 asm.”

The landing shutes have already been completely reeled in by the time the landing party exits the shuttle. And as if the Terrans weren’t already exploding with anticipation, the five Tahw seem to be moving extra slowly toward them. T’hem, with her mass, is having difficulty with the higher gravity. C’ce is adapting faster, of course, but she understands what Tsm meant about being tempted to remove her suit. Not because she feels constricted, though, but because she can see the wind blowing through the trees. She wants to feel that wind. And she wants to smell the humidity of the waterfall that she can hear somewhere in the distance.

They stop at a signal from Ska and wait. The six Terrans are still quite a distance away, so the next step will be up to them. After a short deliberation, the Terrans approach - slowly as well, although to our friends it looks more like running. But they too stop short of any real possible interaction. As difficult as it is for T’hem to read their emotions, she can tell that they are nervous and unsure of how to proceed. And because she is incapable of smiling at them reassuringly, she breaks away from her group and moves a few steps toward them.

Ska almost panics, “T’hem, you’re outside the shield range!”

She ignores him, but L’bis knows how to alleviate that, “That cloaked beacon is still up there monitoring the weather conditions. Those are stable right now, no thunder storms approaching or anything, so if you want to use the beacon, I can give you the specs.”

“Yes, that’s perfect!” Why hasn’t he thought of that earlier?

Meanwhile, T’hem has stopped again after two of the Terrans made a step backwards. But they were just instinctively intimidated by T’hem’s sheer size and quickly move back into the line. Two, one male and one female (T’hem thinks), move towards her. After some hesitation, the female stretches out one of her upper limbs. T’hem recognizes the move from her behavior briefing with L’bis as the ‘greeting handshake’, so she extends one of her limbs to reciprocate. She would have thought that hand would feel warmer – after all, the Terrans are warm-blooded animals – but maybe she just can’t feel it through the protective suit.

“Welcome to our planet.”

T’hem hands her an adapted translation pad that is linked with her own, “Thank you. You are Sara. I see you on transmissions.” Damn it, I can’t use my character naming scheme for the humans! What should I do?! Be as uncreative as possible?

“Yes.” She doesn’t seem surprised at all at the recognition, but maybe T’hem just can’t see it. The male next to her seems more nervous, but who can tell. In any case, he needs to be introduced, “This is John. He is scientific advisor to the United Nations, and will represent them.” Yes, that’s right. Sara and John. Sue me!

He stretches out his hand as well. His is warmer, but also shaking a little. What does shaking mean? Maybe he is ill...? “Hello. Welcome.”

Ska is honing his multi-tasking skills by watching the scene while at the same time reading the data from the beacon, “T’hem, just so you know, the Terrans seem to be having trouble containing the crowd outside the perimeter. They are successful for now, but are starting to point weapons to deter them. I don’t know if they are willing to use those though.”

“I wouldn’t want them to.” This is a little worrisome, but not her immediate concern. She might have to keep this shorter than planned, so she quickly continues the conversation, “I am T’hem. We talk?” Apparently the Terran contact team are also aware of the issue at the fence, because one of them is conversing with someone on his communication device. And they seem to be restless. Or is that just how they move? Can’t they stand still, or is that a sign of increasing nervousness? There is definitely some sort of tension in the air.

The female answers, “Yes. Talking is still difficult. But we try.”

The male adds, “We want to avoid misunderstandings.”

T’hem looks for help with C’ce at that word, who sends her a possible explanation. “Misunderstanding. Understand wrong?”

“Yes –”

He is interrupted by the sound of a small explosion coming from behind the trees. The Terrans all immediately turn their heads. The one with the large communication device yells something into it while almost shoving the others closer together. John complies, but Sara stays with T’hem. She hasn’t completed her task yet. Ska, who has been watching the growing tumult at the access gate, moves the beacon towards the general direction of the sound. But before he can even see what’s going on, something hits the activated shuttle shields. It doesn’t explode, but it shatters on the invisible dome and emits a pungent acidic odor. T’hem can smell it through her suit, and even the Terrans, who have a very weak sense of smell, are covering their noses. After being frozen in shock, they suddenly run off – all but Sara, who apologizes profusely. Just then, L’bis spots another projectile heading towards them. The others might not have recognized it as such, but that is not the flight pattern of a natural being. She calls it out, and T’hem, who is almost within the shield’s range, quickly pulls Sara inside with her, just in time before the projectile hits way too close to where they were just standing. Two more hit somewhere on the other side of the clearing, but that seems to be it.

Sara is clearly in shock, but she can’t just let it end like that. “I’m so sorry! I have no idea how this could happen, We were so careful! How were they able to slip past security?! I... I know you have to leave now, but will you still accept this gift?” She holds out a small object, “It’s a data disc that contains a welcome messages from each country.”

Despite some half-hearted objections from Ska, T’hem takes it, “We cannot take you. Are you safe outside shield?”

“Don’t worry.” Sara hesitates for a second and then scampers off to join the others at the tree line. No one, not even she herself, notices that she is still clutching the Tahw translation pad.

When T’hem finally makes it to the shuttle door, everyone else is already waiting there for her, “Well, that didn’t go as planned, did it?”


	8. How long until the doomsday clock strikes midnight?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back on the Notms, the Tahw crew is trying to make sense of what happened. Have T’hem’s impeccable instincts failed? Where to go from here? And what else might they have overlooked?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this chapter ended up little longer than the others. I had to close up a few plot points – and maybe open some others...

__

_Tsm to T’hem: T//51:_

_I ran a few tests with the substance that we were attacked with. Like L’bis already ascertained with our preliminary analysis, it is an organic acidic substance, easily obtainable, and, like we concluded, wouldn’t need a lot of expertise to manufacture. I wanted to see how much of a possible effect the substance would have had if we hadn’t had our protective gear or shield. It would have caused some irritations, especially had it touched any exposed organs, but these would have been instantly relieved when washed off and treated. Nothing serious. Ironically, the substance would have harmed the Terrans more than us, since their skin (protective outer membrane) is less resilient than our barks. But also in their case, it would have only caused easily treatable minor acid burns.._

_So, this isn’t my field of expertise, but I would say that this wasn’t meant as an attack, but rather to create chaos and to disrupt procedures, lack of sophistication would suggest by some random individual._

\-----

It’s dark in T’hem’s office. The only reason she can tell is because she is craving another photon shower. Of course, that could just be a stress reaction, but darkness just sets the mood better, because there is some sort of depression looming in the room. Has she really misjudged? All her instincts tell her otherwise. But what good are instincts when dealing with such an unprecedented situation, with such vastly different beings? She feels an insecurity that she hasn’t felt in a long time. Experience has always given her such confidence. Earlier, when they arrived back on the Notms, she was in still leadership mode. She sent C’ce off to H’or’s lab with the data disc for decryption and Tsm to her lab with the acidic samples. L’bis didn’t need to be instructed to review the planet data that they had collected on site. Ska accompanied T’hem to her office. He is now studying the beacon data of the incident on the console next to her. Were his instincts more on point, or is the truth somewhere in between?

“These here must be the culprits,” Ska shows T’hem seven Terrans with two vehicles parked on a dirt path near the trees, “So, when we heard that explosion, I sent the beacon toward the general direction it came from. They were in the path. You can see two of them holding something that could be a launching contraption.”

“That looks crude.”

“Yes. Even for them, compared to the military equipment that their security forces are using anyway. These individuals are obviously random civilians.”

“Tsm writes the same thing. That they were probably just trying to disrupt procedures more than really attack.”

“I agree. I doubt that they had anything to do with Terran official procedures.”

“Their first contact team was just as surprised as we were. More even.”

“Well, we knew that not all Terrans are happy with our visit. And they knew. And we can assume that they know we knew. I think they are just shocked that their security measures didn’t hold. And it’s not for a lack of trying.” He shows her earlier data from his area sweeps.

“How come they failed?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe these people had friends embedded with security.”

“I don’t know. That whole setup doesn’t look very planned. You know, quickly put together. Spontaneous almost.”

“That’s true. But there was tumult at the gate just before the attack, so it’s possible that this was an arranged distraction... They did react very quickly afterwards though. I had the beacon monitor the scene for a while as we left.” He puts the data back on the screen. It shows security forces closing in quickly, weapons raised, onto the seven Terrans with their two vehicles. They raise their hands immediately, and don’t resist, even though they seem to have had more of those acid bombs prepared (than the four that they were able to fire off). Whether an act of mischief or a political statement, apparently being arrested is still preferable to getting shot.

“Ok, well, I will have to write an update home. But I’ll need more information before I can make a recommendation. I must say, I am a little curious what’s on that data disc. It’s probably just another greeting, but maybe it can help us understand their current political and social structures better.”

Ska somehow doubts it, “I doubt it’s all too revealing. I mean, it was meant as a welcome gesture. And they are trying to paint as clean a picture as they can towards us, so it will be distorted.” Wait, he wouldn’t use the phrase ‘paint a picture’, would he? Well, they must have some idiom that they use, I just don’t know what it is...

“Ska, if my age has taught me anything, it’s that words are revealing, even if purposely misleading. If words is what’s on there. Maybe it’s just images again.”

“Whatever it is, it will most probably be in their language, not ours. They have an evolution of cunning deceit at their disposal that we can’t read. Think about it, they use hundreds of different languages, yet somehow manage to coordinate and communicate. Language is their thing.”

There it is – that insecurity again. “Do you really see them as that malicious?”

“Not all of them. They would have extincted themselves long ago if that were the case. But it is in their nature, and more than a few haven’t overcome that instinct yet. I’m not saying that they have ill intentions towards us – at least not the officials we met with – what I’m saying is that those messages (whatever they are) won’t be as revealing as you might hope.”

“I actually thought you would try to keep me from accepting that disc at all.”

“If that had been an explosive, or something, they would have wanted it to go off on the Notms. So it was safe to take at that point. I did have it scanned before you entered the shuttle.” And yet, he can’t shake that feeling that he missed something.

“Didn’t you say earlier that their best way to defeat us would be to get rid of me?”

“I thought of a better method: Somehow get a biological agent onto the mother ship that sets off there. Maybe with a timer. And... Well... Maybe it’s just paranoia logic.” Missed something, for sure...

“Paranoia logic?”

“It’s what L’bis calls it when I construct far-fetched theories. But that’s my job, isn’t it?”

“Yes, and I appreciate your creativity. That’s why I chose you. A wild imagination is just what you need when dealing with the unknown.” Maybe she should pay more attention to his warnings, “I hadn’t thought of that possibility, and I don’t think it’s far-fetched at all. In hindsight, it’s actually quite logical. I just can’t imagine they would risk that. And it would be such a pity if they turned out to be so inherently malicious.”

“You’re developing a soft spot for them. That’s dangerous to your objectivity.”

“I know. And I can’t tell if that’s born out of my instincts, or if that is precisely their trick.” She is suddenly taken back to one of her earliest memories. She was following a group of animals. It wasn’t until she felt her two limbs aching from struggling to keep up that she noticed that she was lost. She could smell her parents calling her, but she couldn’t tell the direction – there were just too many other smells interfering. That insecurity, the same one she is feeling now, took over. But her instincts led her back easily, and she was with her family within minutes. So is the lesson here that she can trust those instincts? “Ok, well, we just don’t have enough information right now. Can you go over and check with Oesc how the Terrans are reacting to the incident? Maybe that can give us some clue. I’ll start drafting an update.”

\-----

_H’or to T’hem: T//52:_

_We have decrypted the data disc. It was quite simple. The files, mostly videos, are in the same digital format that they generally use. It was just a matter of figuring out how to access them. The messages themselves are over 200 clips in almost as many languages. We’re having the linguistics team work through them to try and translate. This will take a while, but I’m already sending the files to you, Ska and L’bis to look at anyway. C’ce is on her way over to the strategy room, in case you need her...”_

_Tnsso to Landing Party: T//52:_

_I just finished decontaminating and cleaning out the shuttle. I compared inventory, and am missing one communication pad. Did one of you take it up with you? Just want to make sure everything is accounted for, as Ska requested._

\-----

The strategy room is bustling almost as intensely as when they first arrived. The decrypted data disc has them all occupied. No one noticed Tnsso’s message. On one side of the room, Ska and L’bis are having an animated discussion over the meaning of something in the background of one of the messages. On the other side, C’ce is standing in front of a myriad of screens, surrounded by her team. Oesc is running back and forth between them and the model of Terra suspended above the center console. She is the first to notice T’hem enter. The others are quick to follow though. T’hem is hard to overlook. She calls everyone over to the middle, collapses the model, swipes it to the side, and replaces it with the data disc files.

She doesn’t open them yet, though, “Before we get to this, how are the Terrans reacting to the incident?”

Oesc is quick to answer, “Well, officially they are calm. Condemning the ‘irresponsible actions of these misguided individuals’, but saying that we are not aggressive beings and so there is no reason to panic. Because that is what most of the population is doing; panicking. They fear that we will retaliate somehow, with force.”

“To a minor attack like that? Seems excessive.”

Ska explains, “It’s because that’s what they would do. There are some Terrans applauding the attack, because it shows strength and determination. That seems to be a minority, but it shows their mindset. A predator wouldn’t let that go, no matter how insignificant. They would have to react with a stronger show of force. And the other fear that they have is that, because the authorities weren’t able to provide the promised security, we might deem them unworthy of contact. That we would either just leave, or worse, exterminate them to harvest the planet.”

“Wow. That is even more excessive!”

L’bis is looking for a positive spin, not very successfully, “One of their experts said: ‘Let’s face it, we are a virus, slowly killing the organism that is our planet. That could be reason enough for even benevolent aliens to destroy us.’ That is a way of seeing it. A crazy way, because exterminating a sentient species, virus or not, is all kinds of unethical. But at least it shows that they know what they are doing to their planet.”

“Yes, but I see how they could come up with that theory. I wrote them to standby and wait while we process and make a decision. Maybe I should write them something more reassuring...”

“What if we do decide to leave them to their devices?” L’bis falls back to cold scientific reasoning whenever pessimism threatens to take over, “There is argument to be made that we should leave and come back later, give them more time to develop. I mean, how urgent is the Enott threat really? We weren’t planning to make first contact yet anyway. I’m not saying that that’s what we should do – I just don’t want to reassure them and then just decide to leave anyway.”

Ska must have traded roles with L’bis, “We can’t leave. If they develop into the wrong direction, and the Enott find them alone, they will kill them, use them, steal their resources, whatever...”

“If they develop into the wrong direction, they will be extinct way before the Enott reach them.”

T’hem closes the discussion and clicks something on the console. The Terran messages from the data disc play in a loop, “Let’s get back to that later and talk about this. I’m guessing you all looked through the messages. C’ce, tell us what you found.”

“So, like indicated, it’s really just another welcome message. Apparently, they asked one person from each nation to say something. They all had their nation symbol somewhere in the background. That is also why they used many different languages. We’re still translating, but it’s mostly just a short ‘welcome to Terra’. Some chose to say a little more. I’ll give you the transcript once we’ve translated all of it.”

“Ok, that’s what I thought. Ska, what do you make of it?”

“Like I said before, not very conclusive. One thing that I noticed is that all but one had a nation leader say the welcome. They apparently have a variety of political systems, which will be interesting to research, but the names superimposed on the image always came up as what they call a ‘head of state’ when I entered them into their internet.” He smoothes the soil at the base of the console again.

“All but one?” T’hem reads his uneasiness.

“Yes. Remember that one large nation lead by that unpleasant individual who Oesc said was unhappy with our meeting? I would have expected him. But they had some scientist instead. I don’t know what that means. Did he not want to contribute? Did they not want him to? I don’t know.”

“Okay – we should try to figure that out... L’bis, you were discussing something in the background? I noticed that many of them had some strange objects there.”

“Yes. I think we got it all wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know how they don’t have one universal language? The fact that they are all using their own languages here seems like they are proud of that. I think that those objects in the backgrounds are cultural artifacts. They take pride in that as well – in their cultural diversity. If you think about it, a fundamental rule in biology states that the higher the diversity of species, the healthier the ecosystem. That rule can be applied to cultural diversity in a developing society as well. Maybe that is actually the secret to their success. Instead of an obstacle, it is actually an asset. If everyone talks, thinks, acts the same, they can’t develop. They learn from each other. We had the luxury of time and personal experience. They don’t have that. Instead, they enter as much as they can, from every angle and viewpoint that they can, into their collective knowledge.”

“Hmm.. I never looked at it that way. You’re probably right. We’ve only been looking at territorial behavior and armed conflict, but those might just be remnant outgrowths...” T’hem shoves the idea aside for the moment and scrolls the files to display the last message, “So this is their final message – the one from the United Nations representative. It got me thinking – and this takes us back to the discussion from earlier. I think it shows their intent with that gift. It’s more than just a welcome message. Sara was basically risking her life to give it to me. Yes, they might be manipulating us into thinking better of them than we should. But at the same time they are making a strong case against abandonment.” She feeds the clip into the translation program and plays it:

 

_“Welcome to Earth. I have a message from all of us._

_If you are lying to us, are here to take our resources, to enslave us, or worse; know that we will resist. You can see with these messages that we are capable of concerted effort. Faced with a common enemy, if the survival of our species is at stake, we will lay down our own petty conflicts and work together, no matter how futile it may seem. We will find a way, and we will survive._

_If, however, you really are on a peaceful mission, as you say you are, then please do not be offended by our paranoia, or by our rash reactions. As much as our curiosity drives us, as much do we fear the unknown. And that is what you represent; the new and unknown._

_If you really are here to research us, then please do not be taken aback by the condition of our planet, or by our erratic behavior. We know we have our faults. We know that our technological development is way ahead of our social one, much to our detriment, and to that of our planet. But we are working on it. There is a potential that we hope you can see._

_If you are the enlightened beings that we think you are, please do not condemn us. You might conclude that we are beyond repair, that we have advanced too far on the path of extinction, that our ecosystem is ruined, You are not wrong. We know that we need help. You say that you won’t give us your technology, and some of us don’t understand:_

_How, if you are truly benevolent, can you stand idly by while we are struggling, and taking our planet down with us? But I say that you are right not to share it. It will be misused. Even if it’s something harmless, medicine or a new form of energy production, someone will find a way to turn it into a weapon. But maybe you can find some other way to help us._

_If you are looking for a friend in this galaxy, a possible ally or trade partner in the (if even distant) future, please do not just leave and forget us.”_

 

“I don’t know what to think of this. They are saying exactly what we want to hear. Too exactly. Even the more aggressive rhetoric in the beginning. This is just way too candid, if you know what I mean.”

Ska feels confirmed, “I do. We’ve been comparing their news transmission with our beacon and sensor data. The situation is worse than they are showing on the news, and also what their politicians are saying. I mean, it varies from country to country, but what they are showing and saying is selective. It’s often misleading, sometimes even false.”

“Because they know that we are watching?”

“No, you don’t understand. It’s about everything, not only pertaining to us.” Ska is nervously aligning the data on the console again, “They blow some issues out of proportion, and hardly cover, omit even, others that are much more important. It’s worse in some places than others, but almost everywhere they are misleading their own population to some degree.”

“Are you saying that they are manipulating their own people?”

“Yes. And they are trying to do that with us as well. That’s probably just for self-preservation, because they’re afraid. I’m not necessarily implying malicious intent either, it’s just what they do, and we should keep that in mind.”

“Well. All the more reason not to leave.” T’hem doesn’t really know why she just said that, “I mean, if we leave them to their own devices, and the Enott find them and decide to use them rather than to eradicate them, these deceitful tendencies will turn into malice. And I really want to believe that the Terrans are able to develop into a benevolent species.” An earlier conversation with the Terrans just won’t get out of her head: ... _‘we are not all like this’_... “Our original mission was an observation mission that was supposed to last 21 of their stellar revolutions. In my update to Tahw, I recommended that we continue that mission as originally planned. We will have that time to decide what to do about contact. Keep it at a minimum for now. We proceeded too quickly. They need time to process, even if their insatiable curiosity and impatience tell them otherwise. And we need time to learn more about them. And maybe that way we can slowly lead them into the right direction. I don’t know if the officials back home will consent, but ultimately, it’s my decision.”

“Seems like you’ve already made it?” Ska tentatively agrees. But that nagging sense that he missed something has surfaced again, and the fact that Oesc just stopped moving, doesn’t help, “What’s wrong?”

“Uhm, I just opened a new Terran news item. They are showing a video from our meeting.” She plays the file. It shows Sara running towards the trees. It zooms to her right hand. The image is blurred, but... “Is that one of our pads?”

The collective ‘oh shit!’ moment is cut short when there, right under Tnsso’s message, the answer from Tahw pops up on the comm panel. But before they manage to read it, it has already become obsolete. Because Oesc has made another observation, “This is strange. Look at the time index – when it was sent off. It took 0.08R longer to reach us than it should have.”

Ska is cursing his instincts. “That’s not possible. What does that mean?”

But T’hem, who until moments ago thought that she has aged out of making mistakes, knows the answer, “It means that the message was intercepted! It means that someone else now knows about the Terrans!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This concludes Part 2 of the Sentient Predator series. Hope you liked it. Oh, and sorry about the cliffhanger. Or not so sorry... :)


End file.
